Prime Minister

Antisemitism

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister, how many meetings she has had and with whom at which anti-Semitism was discussed.

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister, how many times she has discussed (a) anti-Semitism and (b) anti-Semitism on the internet with her (i) Cabinet colleagues and (ii) international counterparts.

Mrs Theresa May: Anti-Semitism continues to be a problem in this country which is why it is right that, as a Government, we are able to demonstrate the seriousness with which we take it, as we do for other forms of hate crime.This Government has led the way in adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of anti-Semitism and continues to build on the solid work of the cross-Government working group on tackling anti-Semitism, which ensures that we are alive to any issues and concerns of the Jewish community and can respond quickly. I and ministerial colleagues are in regular contact with representatives of the Jewish community, including the Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Community Security Trust and other key stakeholders. Concerns about the levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism on the internet are discussed by the relevant Cabinet ministers as and when the need arises, and with international counterparts.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effect of the changes brought forward in the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Amendment Regulations 2017 on the number of people receiving the enhanced mobility rate of personal independence payment who will (a) move to the standard rate following their next reassessment and (b) not be entitled to the mobility rate following their next reassessment; and how many people receiving the standard mobility rate of personal independence payment will not be entitled to the mobility rate following their next reassessment.

Penny Mordaunt: Recent changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) regulations clarify the original criteria used to decide how much benefit claimants receive. This is not a policy change, nor is it intended to make new savings. It will not result in any claimants, regardless of their health condition, seeing a reduction in the amount of PIP previously awarded by DWP.

Jobcentres: Food Banks

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many food bank referrals have been made by jobcentres in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Hinds: Jobcentre Plus does not make direct referrals to foodbanks but has offered a signposting service since 2011 to those who have expressed an interest in using a foodbank. No data is held on the number using the signposting service.

Social Security Benefits

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date his Department conducted the Equality Impact Assessment on the non-consensual sex exemption and two child limit for tax credits and universal credit; and if he will publish that assessment.

Damian Hinds: The overall policy to restrict Universal Credit support for children to two children or qualifying young persons was introduced by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. The Government assessed the impact on equality of the policies introduced by that Act at the time, thus meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. We have also taken account of that duty during the formulation of the exceptions.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with the following conditions currently claiming personal independence payment who either at the original assessment, or following mandatory reconsideration or appeal scored points by satisfying descriptors 1c, 1d, 1f (a) anxiety and depressive disorders - mixed, (b) depressive disorder, (c) schizophrenia, (d) bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania/Mania), (e) personality disorder, (f) post traumatic stress disorder, (g) psychotic disorders/other/type not known, (h) alcohol misuse, (i) anxiety disorders/other/type not known, (j) generalised anxiety disorder, (k) agoraphobia, (l) schizoaffective disorder, (m) obsessive compulsive disorder, (n) cognitive disorders/other/type not known, (o) mood disorders/other/type not known, (p) drug misuse, (q) panic disorder, (r) anorexia nervosa, (s) cognitive disorder due to stroke, (t) phobia-social, (u) psychiatric disorders of childhood/other/type not known, (v) eating disorders not otherwise specified, (w) conduct disorder (including oppositional defiant disorder), (x) bulimia nervosa, (y) stress reaction disorders/other/type not known, (z) dissociative disorders/other/type not known, (aa) body dysmorphic disorder, (ab) phobia specific, (ac) somatoform disorders/other/type not known, (ad) conversion disorder (hysteria).

Penny Mordaunt: We have interpreted your question as referring to mobility activity 1 (“Planning and following journeys”). The table below provides an estimate of the number of people with the conditions requested on the Personal Independence Payment caseload at 31 January 2017 who satisfied descriptors c, d or f of mobility activity 1 at the point of original decision by the Department. Information on the numbers following mandatory reconsideration or appeal is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Table 1 – Number people that scored c, d, or f on mobility activity 1 of their PIP assessment, by condition ConditionNumber scoring c, d or f on mobility activity 1(a) anxiety and depressive disorders – mixed4,000(b) depressive disorder2,400(c) schizophrenia4,500(d) bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania/Mania)1,500(e) personality disorder1,000(f) post traumatic stress disorder600(g) psychotic disorders/other/type not known1,300(h) alcohol misuse1,100(i) anxiety disorders/other/type not known700(j) generalised anxiety disorder400(k) agoraphobia200(l) schizoaffective disorder700(m) obsessive compulsive disorder300(n) cognitive disorders/other/type not known3,000(o) mood disorders/other/type not known200(p) drug misuse100(q) panic disorder200(r) anorexia nervosa100(s) cognitive disorder due to stroke2,100(t) phobia-social100(u) psychiatric disorders of childhood/other/type not known200(v) eating disorders not otherwise specifiedLess than 50(w) conduct disorder (including oppositional defiant disorder)100(x) bulimia nervosaLess than 50(y) stress reaction disorders/other/type not knownLess than 50(z) dissociative disorders/other/type not known100(aa) body dysmorphic disorderLess than 50(ab) phobia specificLess than 50(ac) somatoform disorders/other/type not knownLess than 50(ad) conversion disorder (hysteria)Less than 50 Notes: Figures rounded to the nearest 100Figures are at 31 January 2017, based on PIP administrative data management information, calibrated to latest published caseload

Children: Poverty

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 106 of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, entitled UK Poverty: Causes and Solutions, what assessment he has made of whether paying benefits and tax credits intended to support children for all children in a family will move 350,000 children out of poverty by 2020; and if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendation to take such steps.

Damian Hinds: This Government is committed to delivering a country that works for all. Worklessness is one of the most important drivers of child poverty: children in workless families are three times more likely to be in relative low income. The policy to limit child elements in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit to a maximum of two strikes the right balance between protecting the vulnerable and encouraging families who receive benefits to make the same financial decisions as those families who support themselves solely through work.

Housing Benefit

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 82 of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, entitled UK Poverty: Causes and Solutions, if he will make it his policy to scrap the housing benefit cap in favour of more fundamental reform of the housing market.

Caroline Nokes: The benefit cap sets a limit on the total amount of welfare benefits that non-working households can receive. The Government believes that it is not fair for someone on benefits to be receiving more than many people in similar circumstances who are in work and we intend to continue this approach. Since the benefit cap was introduced in 2013, people in tens of thousands of households have moved into work. The new lower cap continues to build on that success by incentivising work. We believe that work greatly benefits people and families. Children can have their life chances and opportunities damaged as a result of living in households where no-one has worked for years and where no-one considers work is an option. We continue to work to target services on the issues that prevent parents moving into work and cause instability in family life, to help workless families and their children overcome their problems and improve their lives. The recent White Paper from the Department for Communities and Local Government, “Fixing Our Broken Housing Market”, offers a comprehensive approach which tackles failure at every point in the system. Its starting point is to build more homes, which will slow the rise in housing costs, so that housing is more affordable, and which will bring the cost of renting down.

Older Workers: Manual Workers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) financial and (b) other support manual workers aged over 50 years old will receive to help them to work until they reach the proposed increased state pension age.

Damian Hinds: The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 and over to remain in and or return to the labour market. Universal Credit is replacing six benefits with a single payment designed to incentivise working and earning more. With none of the cliff edges of the old system and a smooth taper that reduces income at a predictable rate as earnings increase, people can be confident that they will be better off in work and earning more. And as of April this year the taper has been made more generous so people can keep more of their earnings, benefitting three million working families. Everyone that claims Universal Credit will get targeted, personalised and work focussed support from a work coach The Department aims to support claimants with the same Work Coach throughout the duration of their Universal Credit claim, meaning claimants can build a relationship with their Work Coach. To tackle outdated perceptions about older workers the Government has announced the appointment of the Business In The Community (BITC) Age at Work leadership team led by Andy Briggs, CEO of Aviva UK Life and Chairman of Global Life as Business Champion for Older Workers, to spearhead the Government’s work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruitment older workers. The team will actively promote the benefits of older workers to employers across England – influencing them both strategically and in terms of practical advice. The Government also published a new strategy ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’ on 2nd February. The Strategy is crucially led by employers, but also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting them in planning their careers and their approach to retirement. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available at the attached web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach

Child Tax Credit: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Communities on the potential implications for training and recruitment of staff to assess exemption claims related to the Child Tax Credit (Amendment) Regulations 2017.

Damian Hinds: The Child Tax Credit is administered by HMRC throughout the UK. HMRC has a specialist operational team to handle claims for exceptions and guidance has been made available online to claimants and stakeholders. The UK Government continues to work with officials from the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that appropriate assistance is provided to claimants and those individuals and organisations working with them.

Social Security Benefits: Standards

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of new claims for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance made in the last six months for which data is available, were processed within five working days.

Damian Hinds: The proportion of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims processed within 5 working days is shown below: JSA = 26.2% (current target is 90% in 10 working days)ESA = 48.3% (current target is 85% in 10 working days) Notes: The period the data covers is from 1st October 2016 to 31st March 2017. Source: Management Information System Programme (MISP). MISP is a Departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice.

Jobcentres: Pyle

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department carried out an assessment of the availability of suitable alternative local premises in advance of the decision to close Pyle Jobcentre Plus.

Damian Hinds: Our proposal is to relocate staff and services from Pyle Jobcentre to Porthcawl Jobcentre. The new site at Porthcawl is 4.9 miles and 35 minutes by public transport from Pyle Jobcentre. This proposal is part of a broader national approach and we have carefully considered the merits of alternative options as part of these plans but believe that our proposal is the only viable option. Our aim is to have larger, better quality offices which will allow a more digitally enabled environment, optimising use of space, ensuring value for money for the Department and the taxpayer and enabling effective delivery of services.

Child Maintenance Service: Complaints

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been referred to a senior resolution manager for cases at the Child Maintenance Service as a result of an hon. Member acting on behalf of a constituent in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Statistics on the number of complaints received under the Child Maintenance Service are published in the Child Maintenance Service 2012 Scheme - Experimental Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-aug-2016-experimental The data is collected clerically and breakdowns based on personal circumstances of the complainant, such as whether the case was referred to a senior resolution manager for cases at the Child Maintenance Service as a result of an hon. Member acting on behalf of a constituent, is not routinely recorded and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications have been lodged with the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Information on the number of new 2012 applications that have been lodged with the Child Maintenance Service are published on Table 1 of the Child Maintenance Service Experimental Statistics, which contains data up until November 2016.The Publication can be accessed online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-nov-2016-experimental

Children: Maintenance

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department's policy to assign one caseworker to each individual case at the (a) Child Maintenance Service and (b) Child Support Agency.

Caroline Nokes: Both CMS and CSA cases are assigned to an individual caseworker in the relevant case owning department within the business as and when action is required on the case. Over time cases move throughout the department depending on what action is required. When a case moves it is then allocated to a caseworker in the relevant part of the business to action accordingly.

Carer's Allowance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of paying carer's allowance to all those eligible for that benefit, including those with an underlying entitlement.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are eligible for carer's allowance currently (a) receive that benefit and (b) have an underlying entitlement without payment.

Penny Mordaunt: An estimate of the overall cost to the public purse of paying Carer’s Allowance to those claimants with an underlying entitlement, but not receiving a payment, is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. Expenditure on Carer’s Allowance is published within the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables 2017 – available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2017 Official statistics on the number of people (i) receiving a payment for Carer’s Allowance and (ii) have an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance are available within Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability employment advisers have received training in dealing with people with autism.

Penny Mordaunt: It is expected that all Disability Employment Advisers will undertake a learning routeway, which includes information about a wide range of disabilities and health conditions, including autism. Our learning is delivered through a wide range of methods, including structured classroom based modules, up-skilling from colleagues and some delivered by third party organisations. On 27 March, to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week, we launched a new Disability Confident Autism and Neuro-diversity Toolkit which we developed in partnership with Autism Alliance UK and the Autism Task Group. Communications about this went out to all DWP staff, not just those in customer-facing roles, to ensure our entire workforce is able to understand the needs of customers with autism and other hidden impairments.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus work coaches have received training in dealing with people with autism.

Damian Hinds: I am not able to provide a definitive number of Work Coaches who have received training in dealing with people with autism. This is because our learning is delivered through a wide range of methods, including structured classroom based modules, up-skilling from colleagues and some delivered by third party organisations. All our Work Coaches undertake a learning routeway which includes information to help them deliver to customers with a wide range of additional needs including those with disabilities and hidden conditions such as autism. We have also recently changed the role of Disability Employment Advisers to allow them to focus on sharing their expertise with all Work Coaches and Jobcentre staff. As part of this we have recruited new Disability Employment Advisers, some of whom will still be undertaking their learning journey. On 27 March, to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week, we also launched a new Disability Confident Autism and Neuro-diversity Toolkit which we developed in partnership with Autism Alliance UK and the Autism Task Group. Communications about this went out to all DWP staff, not just those in customer-facing roles, to ensure our entire workforce is able to understand the needs of customers with autism and other hidden impairments.

Department for Work and Pensions: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of relocating the operations of his Department carried out at Birchwood, Warrington into the building his Department rents in Warrington town centre.

Damian Hinds: Our proposals for Birchwood, Warrington are part of a broader national approach and we have carefully considered the merits of alternative options as part of these proposals. Our future corporate centre strategy is to increase collaborative and multi-disciplinary working. Like other government departments, we are planning to move to a new corporate centre hub model, whereby we would work from fewer buildings, primarily in cities like Manchester. This strategy involves expanding our workforce, bringing in new recruits with the digital and technical skills needed for our future digital services and bringing the many teams together that we need to develop and support our services under one roof to improve the way we work.

Department for Work and Pensions: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account has been taken of the rail journey times between Birchwood and Manchester when deciding on the future location of operations carried out by his Department at Birchwood, Warrington.

Damian Hinds: The Manchester city centre location will help DWP attract and retain talent in the North West, making a real difference to designing, developing and delivering future customer services. We want to ensure that our staff can travel easily between our corporate centre hubs around the country and be able to work closely with colleagues in other central government departments. We also want to ensure that our range of customers can easily get to our office by public transport to help us test new digital services which are in development. With a Metrolink tram stop within a few yards and both Piccadilly and Victoria Stations just 15 minutes’ walk away, the office is within easy daily reach by public transport. Our office at Birchwood currently employs just over 300 people, approximately 80% of whom live outside the Warrington area and commute to the business park by car or train.

Department for Work and Pensions: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of increased rental and rate charges in the event that his Department's office in Birchwood, Warrington is moved to Manchester.

Damian Hinds: Birchwood is one of 14 offices that form our corporate centre which we plan to reduce to 7 offices. Our proposal for Birchwood, Warrington is part of the Department’s continued drive to deliver public services in more innovative and cost effective ways. Manchester will increasingly be an important, strategic location for the Civil Service with its skilled workforce, great public transport links and local amenities.

Department for Work and Pensions: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place a copy in the Library of the business case for the proposed move of operations of his Department's office at Birchwood, Warrington.

Damian Hinds: It is not possible to place a copy of the business case for the proposed move of operations of his Department's office at Birchwood, Warrington in the House Library as it contains commercially sensitive information. However, it may help if I explain that Birchwood is one of 14 offices that form our corporate centre. Our future corporate centre strategy is to increase collaborative and multi-disciplinary working. Like other government departments, we are planning to move to a new corporate centre hub model, whereby we would work from fewer buildings, primarily in cities like Manchester. This strategy involves expanding our workforce, bringing in new recruits with the digital and technical skills needed for our future digital services and bringing the many teams together that we need to develop and support our services under one roof to improve the way we work.

Department for Work and Pensions: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the local economy of the plans to close his Department's office in Birchwood, Warrington.

Damian Hinds: As a large employer, DWP understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of an office may have. This is why we carefully considered the wider impacts on local communities, like Birchwood, as part of the review of our estate which focussed on our longer-term strategy and which sites matched most closely to our future needs.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 5 April 2017 to Questions 69584 and 69583, whether the training given to healthcare professionals and decision makers referred to in each Answer is the same.

Penny Mordaunt: The role of the Assessment Provider’s Health Professional and the DWP Case Manager differs therefore they do not receive the same training.All Health Professionals undertaking assessments on behalf of DWP must be registered practitioners who have also met requirements around training, experience and competence. Approval to work as a Health Professional must be conferred by the DWP Chief Medical Officer on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.Case Managers undertake internal departmental training to carry out their duties with full decision making powers acting on behalf of the Secretary of State regarding claimant entitlement. Personal Independence Payment Case Managers are trained in general disability awareness. The Case Manager will make their decision on entitlement to PIP based on the evidence supplied by the claimant, and the personalised consultation report provided by a qualified Health Professional which may also include reports from the claimants Doctor or Consultant where applicable.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants have been referred to the personal budgeting support service in each year since the introduction of universal credit; and what the cost of providing those services was in each such year.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available.

Children: Poverty

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of children in each London local authority were living in poverty in working households in each of the last 20 years.

Damian Hinds: We do not have this data. Our primary source to assess the number of children in poverty is DWP’s Households Below Average Income (HBAI) publication, but this only provides data to a regional level and not at a Local Authority level. There is no comprehensive source of published information on children in poverty in working households at a Local Authority level.

Home Office

Alternatives to Prison

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to develop and implement community-based alternatives to detention for (a) vulnerable people who have already been detained and (b) people at risk of vulnerability as a result of detention.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what community-based alternatives to detention her Department developed and implemented as a result of the report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, published in March 2015, and the report by Stephen Shaw, Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons, Cm 9186, published in January 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There is always a presumption of liberty and detention is only ever used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. For those individuals with no right to remain in the UK, we expect them to leave the country of their own volition and the Home Office has programmes to support voluntary return.The Home Office expects that current and planned reforms, and broader changes in legislation, policy and operational approaches will lead to a reduction in the number of the most vulnerable detained and the duration of detention before removal.

Emergency Services: Telecommunications

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to make available a list of planned, publicly-funded sites for the Emergency Services Network to other mobile network operators to allow for site sharing.

Brandon Lewis: In delivering the Emergency Services Network (ESN), the mobile network operator EE will deliver up to 291 new mast sites. Government will deliver approximately 230 further sites (known as the “Extended Area Services” (EAS) sites) in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain.  EE has indicated that they aim to provide commercial services from all the new sites that they are building for ESN and the EAS sites although this may be dependent on the backhaul technologies used at sites to connect the site to EE’s telecommunications system.  Under the terms of the State Aid decision for ESN, any ESN site where EE offers a commercial service must be made available to the other UK mobile operators and interested parties to provide their own a service on an equal and non-discriminatory basis.  For EAS sites, the principal objective is to provide coverage to meet the needs of the emergency services, but the Home Office is working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and DCMS to identify any proposed mast locations which could improve mobile coverage in future, with a view to ensuring these are built to a specification which could accommodate multiple operators. EE has indicated that for the sites they are building for ESN, they will provide detailed information to the mobile network operators on the locations once sites for new masts are legally acquired and planning permission has been granted.  For EAS sites, proposed locations have been shared with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. Planning applications due to be submitted during 2017 will confirm and make public the precise locations of these sites.

Asylum

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of civil servants based in her Department who work full-time on asylum casework; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has continued to increase the number of asylum Decision Makers and has ongoing recruitment campaigns, to cope with demand and to ensure we continue to meet our service standards. All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information.

Home Office: Staff

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

Sarah Newton: I refer the hon. Member to the oral statement on the Corporate Governance Green Paper of 29 November 2016, Official Report, Column 1408.

Deportation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been deported after applying for indefinite leave to remain who had previously been given leave to remain in the UK as unaccompanied minors under the 1951 Refugee Convention since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but the Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. To obtain it would involve interrogating individual case records, at disproportionate cost.

Fraud

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many charges the Economic Crime Command of the National Crime Agency has filed against (a) individuals and (b) companies in each year since 2013.

Mr Ben Wallace: Charges are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The National Crime Agency does not record the number of arrests or subsequent charges by Command and therefore it is not possible to provide this information. Activity that leads to charges is often the result of work undertaken by multiple units across the agency.

Passports: Applications

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last reviewed the list of accepted occupations for passport application and photo countersignatories; and whether she plans to increase the number of accepted occupations on that list.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The current policy, which requires the countersignatory to be a person of professional standing, is not prescriptive in relation to acceptable professions. The current list of recognised professions on Gov.UK is intended to be purely illustrative to assist the public, and it is therefore unnecessary to expand this list.

Refugees: Children

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implication for her policies of the finding of the Thematic Report on migrant and refugee children, published by the Council of Europe on 10 March 2017 that Europe's treatment of child refugees increases the risk of radicalisation; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government notes the Council of Europe’s report on migrant and refugee children and is committed to implementing policies which do not inadvertently create incentives for children to make dangerous journeys into and across Europe and place their lives in the hands of people traffickers and criminal gangs. That is why we have focused our efforts on providing support in and around regions of conflict, and on providing safe and legal routes for children to come to the UK via our resettlement schemes. The Government is also working with law enforcement agencies and governments across Europe to clamp down on those seeking to exploit or radicalise human beings. The welfare of all children in the UK is a priority and unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children are entitled to the same care and support as any other looked after child.

Retail Trade: Crime

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to businesses on preventing retail crime; and what the total cost of retail crime was in 2016.

Sarah Newton: The Government recognises the impact that retail crime has on businesses. The British Retail Consortium has, for example, estimated that the direct financial cost of crime to the UK retail industry was £660 million in 2015-16. We have not issued general guidance on preventing the different forms of crime that can impact on businesses, which includes shoplifting, criminal damage and fraud. We do, however, work closely with the retail sector and I [the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism] have met with representative bodies including the British Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores, who are also represented on the National Retail Crime Steering Group, to understand better the crime issues that affect the sector and how we can best work together to prevent and respond to these crimes.

Security Industry Authority: Reviews

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the review of the Security Industry Authority to be published.

Brandon Lewis: The review of the Security Industry Authority will be put to Ministers for consideration shortly and would be published thereafter.

Animal Experiments

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the public consultation on section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and if she will place a copy of that response in the Library.

Mr Ben Wallace: I intend to publish the response in due course.

Asylum

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to increase the number of voluntary deals with local authorities to widen the dispersal of asylum seekers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since 2015, the Home Office has been working closely with accommodation providers and local authorities across the UK to increase the number of areas that participate in the asylum seeker dispersal scheme; this activity has already increased the number of dispersal areas by a third and continues to encourage those local authorities that aren’t participating to do so.

Deportation: Jamaica

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government invests in resettlement projects for Jamaican citizens deported from the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government invests in a number of resettlement projects for Jamaican citizens deported from the UK. The projects assist them in rebuilding their lives by providing support services, including reception service on arrival, short term accommodation, and skills training.

Fraud

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimates her Department has made of the cost of fraud to the UK economy.

Mr Ben Wallace: The most recent Annual Fraud Indicator published by the National Fraud Authority in 2013 estimated the loss to the UK economy from fraud to be £52 billion. We have made no later estimate of the cost of fraud to the UK economy. It is clear from other measures that fraud is a prevalent crime. The most recent figures published by the Office of National Statistics show that for the year ending September 2016 there were 3.6 million fraud offences. That is why the work of the Joint Fraud Taskforce which brings together the Government, Banks and Law Enforcement to develop a collective response to fraud is so important.

Torture

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture's report, Forced return flights from the UK, published in 2013.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government responded in full to the report in July 2013. Flights continue to be monitored independently by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards.

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department respond to Freedom of Information requests.

Sarah Newton: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many security passes giving access to his Department's premises have been issued in each year since 2010.

Kris Hopkins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not record the total number of security passes it issues and is therefore not able to provide this information. This is as a result of other departments being provided with passes to allow access to their facilities on site outside NIO office hours including access to IT servers.

Department of Health

European Food Safety Authority

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to outline options for the replacement of the European Food Safety Authority after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mowat: Departments are currently working together to understand the impact that withdrawal from the European Union will have across a number of sectors and cross-cutting areas, including the European Food Safety Authority. Options for the future of risk assessment in the United Kingdom are being developed but it is not possible at this time to give an indication of when these options can be shared.

European Food Safety Authority

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with representatives of the European Food Safety Authority on its future remit in the UK.

David Mowat: The Government has not yet had any discussions with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on its future remit in the United Kingdom. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standard Agency and other Government Departments/bodies currently work with the EFSA on a range of issues including public health, food safety, plant and animal health and welfare. Government departments are working together to ensure that we will continue to have a collaborative relationship with the EFSA post-exit and that UK risk management decisions will continue to be based on robust scientific evidence.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups are made aware of NICE guidelines on fertility treatment.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England is responsible for oversight of the commissioning system. I wrote to NHS England on 7 March asking that it re-emphasise to all those involved in commissioning fertility services that they should have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guideline. The Department, NHS England and professional and stakeholder groups are working together to develop benchmark pricing for fertility services to ensure that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) can get best value for their money. These partners are also developing commissioning guidance. This guidance aims to improve the quality of commissioning and encourage the full implementation of the NICE fertility guidance. NHS England has agreed to disseminate and promote the guidance to all CCGs in England.

NHS: Managers

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS Executives have been without a substantive post for two months or longer in each of the last three years; and which bodies have paid the salaries of those staff during those periods.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not collect data about the number of NHS Executives without substantive posts.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) premature deaths and (b) illnesses have been attributed to poor air quality in each of the last 10 years.

Nicola Blackwood: In 2010 the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published the report “The Mortality Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution in the United Kingdom”, which concluded, using 2008 data, that the 2008 burden of man-made particulate matter air pollution is, an effect on mortality equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths in the UK. In 2014 a Public Health England (PHE) report estimated the annual mortality burden attributable to long-term exposure to man-made particulate air pollution as being equivalent to 25,000 deaths in England. Estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to long-term exposure to man-made particulate air pollution for local authority areas in England (2010-15) are provided by the Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator 3.01.,available to view here:http://www.phoutcomes.info/search/air%20pollution#pat/6/ati/102/par/E12000004 PHE has not quantified the number of illnesses attributed to poor air quality for each of the last ten years.

Drugs: Licensing

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what factors will be measured to monitor patient access to treatment after the introduction of the NICE and NHS England joint changes to technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies reforms.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England will use standard systems already in place to measure access to treatments. In addition, NICE and NHS England have committed to review the impact of the changes to the arrangements for the assessment and adoption of new treatments three years after their implementation.

Drugs: Licensing

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of whether there have been delays to patient access to treatment as a result of the proposals being implemented by the NICE and NHS England joint changes to technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies.

Nicola Blackwood: The changes to technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies are being implemented for topics with a first evidence submission to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) after 1 April. It is therefore too soon for products under the new arrangements to have received their final guidance from NICE.

Hospitals: Consultants

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions have taken place with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on the recruitment of medical consultants for hospitals in (a) England and (b) the devolved regions.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is in regular dialogue with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on a range of issues. The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved issue. The latest (December 2016) National Health Service workforce statistics of staff working in trusts and clinical commissioning groups shows that since May 2010, there are over 600 more full-time equivalent medical consultants working in the emergency medicine specialty group. This is an increase of 61%.

NHS: Reorganisation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to update the status and powers of sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) since February 2016; and what vision he has for the future of STPs.

David Mowat: Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) are not statutory bodies, and so do not themselves have powers or functions. STPs derive their authority to act from the collective consent and participation of their participant organisations, namely clinical commissioning groups, providers of National Health Service services and local authorities. STPs do not change the existing accountabilities of NHS trusts, commissioners or local authorities. These organisations already have robust governance arrangements in place to ensure the transparency and accountability of decisions made.We expect that STPs will now move towards becoming Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, as NHS England set out in Next Steps on the Five Year Forward View. The way STPs will work will vary according to the needs of different parts of the country, but we expect all STPs to develop increasingly robust governance and implementation arrangements.NHS England has also identified six-eight STPs as potential sites to go further and faster towards becoming Accountable Care Systems. £325 million of capital was also recently allocated within the Budget to support the best STPs. We are continuing to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement on these proposals.

Health Services: Demography

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who provides advice to him on how the health service can meet growing demand as a result of additional houses being built in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) Mid Sussex.

David Mowat: It is for local commissioners, working in partnership with local authorities, to ensure that appropriate services are available to new communities as they develop.

Community Health Services: Liverpool

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) Bridgewater and (b) Merseycare NHS Trust spent on bidding for the Liverpool Community Health contract.

Mr Philip Dunne: In line with the requirements of the transaction process Bridgewater Community Healthcare Foundation Trust (BCHFT) required external support (both legal and financial) to complete the due diligence for Liverpool Community Health services and South Sefton, a competitive dialogue phase, and also external support costs of progressing through NHS Improvement’s prescribed significant transaction process once Bridgewater had been named as the preferred provider at the end of November 2016. It has calculated and confirmed those costs to NHS Improvement as £550,000. BCHFT is now no longer progressing this transaction. MerseyCare NHS Foundation Trusts report that the cost in preparing the bid for Liverpool Community Health services alongside the South Sefton bid from 1 June to 30 November 2016 is estimated at £313,000. These costs related to dedicated programme management, finance staff support and external bid writing.

Enzymes: Medical Treatments

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to protect NHS funding for enzyme replacement therapy.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to protect NHS funding for enzyme replacement therapy during the course of the 2015 Parliament.

David Mowat: NHS England funds enzyme replacement therapies for eight lysosomal storage disorders. All of these drugs are high cost in nature and, for some, there is still an emerging clinical evidence base.It is good practice to ensure that National Health Service funds are spent in the most cost-effective way and for NHS England to review the continuing use of these therapies, and to develop clinical commissioning policies as appropriate.The development of any clinical commissioning policies would be undertaken through NHS England’s usual processes and would be subject to public consultation.

Mental Capacity

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has reviewed the Law Commission's review of the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is considering the Law Commission’s report and recommendations and will respond in due course.

Pharmacy

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of the Community Pharmacy Forward View published by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee in August 2016; and if he will take steps to implement that Committee's recommendations.

David Mowat: The Government welcomed the publication of the Community Pharmacy Forward View, and its ambitions for a service that is more service and clinically-focussed and contributes more to public health improvements.

Bladder Cancer

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of bladder cancer.

David Mowat: The Be Clear on Cancer ‘Blood in Pee’ campaign aims to raise awareness of visible haematuria (blood in the urine) as a possible early symptom of bladder and kidney cancer.The campaigns used a wide range of media, including national television and radio advertising. As part of the campaigns, Public Health England (PHE) worked with the Health and Safety Executive on communicating the campaign messages through their networks because of the increased risk of bladder cancer in people who have worked with certain occupational chemicals. PHE also developed a broader campaign approach to raise awareness of a range of abdominal symptoms that can indicate a wider number of cancers, including bladder, and also encouraged people to visit the doctor promptly with these symptoms. This regional pilot ran from 9 February until 31 March 2017 in the East and West Midlands.

Midwives: Retirement

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2017 to Question 65308, how many midwives left employment in the NHS in England because they had reached retirement age in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Available information relating to midwives who have left employment in the National Health Service in England and where they had provided a reason for leaving as ‘retirement age’, is presented in the attached table provided by NHS Digital.



PQ70454 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.21 KB)

Heart Diseases: Young People

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory echocardiogram screening to identify young people aged between 18 and 35 years old at risk of cardiac arrest; and what steps his Department has taken to improve diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities in young people.

David Mowat: In 2015 the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed the evidence for screening for major causes of sudden cardiac death in young people between the ages of 12 to 39 and recommended that screening should not be offered. The UK NSC will review the evidence again in 2018/19 or earlier if any new peer reviewed evidence emerges in the meantime.

Pharmacy

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department makes available for minor ailments services provided by community pharmacies by service.

David Mowat: Minor ailments services are commissioned locally, based on the needs of local areas. Minor ailments services are already commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across many parts of the country and ultimately NHS England will encourage all CCGs to adopt this joined-up approach by April 2018, building on the experience of the urgent and emergency care vanguard projects to achieve this at scale.

Pharmacy

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make new funding available for NHS England for commissioning new advanced services under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in 2017-18.

David Mowat: The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2016/17 and 2017/18 was announced in October 2016. This includes a new advanced service, the NHS Urgent Medicine Supply Advanced Service pilot scheme.

Pharmacy

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the financial viability of independent, locally owned pharmacies.

David Mowat: The Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) will protect access in areas where there are fewer pharmacies with higher health needs, ensuring that no area need be left without a pharmacy. As the Impact Assessment, published on 20 October 2016, sets out, pharmacies that do not receive the PhAS, but do receive the quality payment will on average be receiving a 4.6% funding reduction in 2016/17 and an 8.3% reduction in 2017/18. Other revenue streams from clinical commissioning groups, Public Health England and local authorities are unaffected by these reductions. It is difficult to predict precisely the impact of these proposals on the viability of community pharmacies and, therefore, which - if any - might close as a result of the cut in funding. That is because there are a number of business models within the community pharmacy sector, and reductions in NHS funding will impact differently on different community pharmacies depending on a range of factors.

Drugs: Licensing

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who is accountable for monitoring and evaluating the long-term outcomes of the implementation of NICE and NHS England changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs which will come into effect on 1 April 2017.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England have committed to review the impact of the changes to the arrangements for the assessment and adoption of new treatments three years after their implementation.

Drugs: Licensing

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 65172, if he will publish a list of NICE-approved treatments that NHS England forecast would have a high budget impact in any of the first three years of their use, including the actual budget impact of those treatments in each year.

Nicola Blackwood: The changes to technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies are being implemented for topics with a first evidence submission to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) after 1 April. It is therefore too soon for products assessed under the new arrangements to have received final guidance from NICE.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Housing: Insulation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2017 to Question 68280, if he will publish the evidential basis for the statement that 500,000 homes will be insulated between April 2017 and September 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published the ‘ECO: Help to Heat’ Final Stage Impact Assessment in January 2017. The number of homes treated under ECO 2 (April 2015 – March 2017) and the estimated number of homes treated under the ECO extension period (April 2017 – September 2018) are presented in section 9.4 (page 10) in the Final Stage Impact Assessment. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586266/ECO_Transition_Final_Stage_IA__For_Publication_.pdf

Living Wage: Calder Valley

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the Calder Valley who will benefit from the recent increase in the national living wage.

Margot James: We have not produced estimates of the number of people in the Calder Valley who benefitted from the increase in the National Living Wage on 1 April 2017. However, in Annex C of the Government’s published Impact Assessment we estimated that, at the time of the uprating, 172,000 workers in Yorkshire and Humber would benefit from the new National Living Wage and an additional 40,000 workers would benefit from the new National Minimum Wage rates. The Low Pay Commission has recently published sub-regional analysis. This estimates that 7.4% of employees in Calderdale, Yorkshire and Humber are covered by the new National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage rates. The Government’s Impact Assessment is available here:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2017/42/pdfs/ukia_20170042_en.pdf The Low Pay Commission analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-pay-commission-april-2017-minimum-wage-rise-analysis

Mothers: Pay

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the average salary of mothers who have taken up maternity leave in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold information on the average salary of mothers who have taken up maternity leave each year since 2010.

Pay: Non-payment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether all complaints made to ACAS about non-payment of the national minimum wage and national living wage are passed on to HM Revenue and Customs.

Margot James: Acas Helpline advisers have a commitment to refer all complaints about non-payment of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage are passed on to HM Revenue and Customs. In some circumstances, for example a case with multiple employment issues, a worker may request that enforcement is pursued through the civil courts or an Employment Tribunal.

Migrant Workers: Enforcement

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Director of Labour Market Enforcement plans to consult before drafting his labour market enforcement strategy.

Margot James: The Director of Labour Market Enforcement (The Director) was appointed on 1 January 2017 and has submitted to ministers an introductory labour market enforcement strategy. In preparing the strategy the Director held stakeholder roundtables, a stakeholder survey, and met with the three enforcement bodies - the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and HMRC’s National Minimum Wage team – as well as public bodies and external stakeholders.

Pay: Non-payment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what procedure ACAS follows in referring to HM Revenue and Customs cases of non-payment of the national minimum wage and national living wage.

Margot James: Where a national minimum wage or national living wage complaint is received by telephone, the Acas adviser establishes the caller’s name and brief details of the issue. These are communicated to HM Revenue and Customs before the call is handed over. Where HMRC do not have an adviser available – for example when all of their advisers are on other calls or the call was made outside of HMRC opening hours – the caller is given an option by the Acas Adviser of leaving a voicemail message with HM Revenue and Customs or ringing Acas back at another time when the call can be transferred. Since January 2017, callers have the option of using the updated online complaint form on GOV.UK.

Pay: Non-payment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many cases of failure to pay wages ACAS referred to HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last 12 months.

Margot James: For the period April 2016-March 2017, management information shows that Acas referred 2,311 calls to HM Revenue and Customs. This figure also includes onward referrals made by Acas Helpline advisers in response to issues raised on the online form on GOV.UK. Month / YearReferralsApril 2016224May 2016213June 2016187July 2016190August 2016189September 2016189October 2016180November 2016195December 2016124January 2017187February 2017220March 2017213

Energy: Meters

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to renew smart metering licences due to expire in November 2018 under the Energy Act 2008.

Jesse Norman: Under the Energy Act 2008 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has powers to amend electricity and gas supply licences for the purposes of smart metering until 1 November 2018. We published for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2016 two measures related to smart meters including a proposal to extend these powers by five years. This would allow Government to continue to oversee the successful completion of the rollout by the end of 2020 and post-implementation to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the smart metering policy framework. We are proposing to introduce these measures when parliamentary time allows.

Energy Intensive Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2016 to Question 57227, on energy intensive industries: trade competitiveness, by what date his Department plans to introduce the exemption for energy intensive industries.

Jesse Norman: The government is in continuing discussions with the European Commission on securing the remaining exemptions for energy intensive industries. The intention is to introduce the exemptions once the necessary clearances have been secured. The current compensation for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) will remain in place in the meantime.

Energy Intensive Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2016 to Question 57226, on energy intensive industries: trade competitiveness, how much additional contingency funding has been allocated to the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs for energy intensive industries beyond 1 April 2017.

Jesse Norman: The government is in continuing discussions with the European Commission on securing the remaining exemptions for energy intensive industries. Sufficient funding is in place to continue the current compensation for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FIT).

Local Growth Deals

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2017 to Question 68255, on local growth deals, what funds are available for allocation to regional growth deals in addition to such funding for city deals.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Research: Finance

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of government investment in research and development as a proportion of GDP in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on increasing its investment in research and development as a proportion of GDP above the OECD average by 2020-21.

Joseph Johnson: Research and development is a key driver of economic growth and is a vital part of the government's Industrial Strategy. The government clearly demonstrated its commitment to science and research in the 2016 Autumn Statement, committing an additional £4.7 billion to R&D funding covering both science and innovation over the period 2017/18 to 20/21. This equates to an extra £2 billion a year by 2020/21, the biggest increase in any parliament since 1979.Total R&D expenditure in the UK in 2015 represented 1.68% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The rate in future years will depend on both public sector and private sector investment in R&D as well as on the level of GDP.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect the current interoperability of SMETS1s will have on consumers' freedom to switch energy suppliers.

Jesse Norman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 23 February 2017 to Question UIN 64508.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of SMETS1s that are not in operation due to problems with their interoperability.

Jesse Norman: As of December 2016 there were approximately 0.33 million smart meters being operated in traditional mode in domestic properties. This includes, for example, premises ceasing to exist through demolition or reclassification, as well as suppliers not currently operating smart meters in smart mode when a consumer switches. Some energy suppliers are not yet offering smart services. However, some suppliers already operate smart meters they have gained upon switching in smart mode. We are encouraging industry parties to enable more consumers to retain their smart services upon switching. Work is underway to make SMETS1 smart meters interoperable between energy suppliers, through enrolment in to the Data and Communication Company’s system.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will suspend the roll out of SMETS1s until problems with interoperability have been resolved; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: No. Smart meters complying with the first version of the technical specifications (SMETS1) are delivering real benefits to consumers and have helped the industry prepare for the main installation stage of the roll-out. Work is underway to make SMETS1 smart meters interoperable between energy suppliers, through enrolment in to the DCC’s system. Consumers with smart meters are having a positive experience and saving energy. Research by Populus for Smart Energy GB, published in February 2017, found that eight in ten (81 per cent) of those with smart meters would recommend them to others.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the costs of the Data Communications Company enrolling up to 8 million SMETS1s meters.

Jesse Norman: The Data and Communications Company (DCC) has consulted on options for ‘enrolling’ SMETS1 meters into its system. DCC is considering stakeholders’ responses and will submit a report to Government on options for enrolment later this year. The cost and benefits of enrolment will depend on which option is pursued and Government will take into account value for money when assessing the options. It should be noted that the 2016 cost benefit analysis has already made allowance for the plan to enrol and adopt SMETS1 meters into the DCC.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on (a) maintaining and (b) increasing financial support for the offshore wind sector in the next five years.

Jesse Norman: The Government announced £730m of support for offshore wind and other less established renewable electricity generation technologies in Budget 2016. This funding will go towards projects beginning from 2021 onwards, which will receive a share of this annual budget for the duration of their 15-year contracts.Allocation of the first tranche of this support, totalling £290m, began in November last year and projects receiving this support will be announced later this year. The remainder of the support is expected to be allocated before 2020.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the benefits to (a) Scotland and (b) the UK of investment in offshore wind capacity.

Jesse Norman: Investment in offshore wind capacity supports many jobs in both Scotland and the rest of the UK. A BIS report published in 2015, ‘The size and performance of the UK low-carbon economy’, estimated that 13,700 jobs in the UK were supported by offshore wind in 2013.Recent announcements of supply chain investments and contract awards include CS Wind, 3 Sun Group and Bi-Fab in Scotland, and JDR Cables, Siemens, Granada Material Handling and Harland & Wolff in the rest of the UK.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2017 to Question 68881, what proportion of the initially projected benefits of the smart meter rollout is the £1,548 million reduction in benefits, as reported in the 2016 Cost Benefit Analysis.

Jesse Norman: The headline net benefit of the rollout estimated in the 2016 Cost Benefit Analysis is broadly similar to the previous assessment published in 2014. However, there have been significant movements in the composition of benefits beneath the headline figure from updated assumptions and methodological adjustments. As such, it is not meaningful to consider one change in isolation. The 2016 CBA provides an overview of changes to analysis since the 2014 Impact Assessment (Table 2-2 on p.15 of Part I of the CBA).

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Conditions of Employment

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.

Margot James: As at 10/04/2017, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) employed the following numbers on a contract:QuestionHeadcount%a) Full-time permanent staff266387.4b) Part-time permanent staff2929.6c) Less than 2 years duration20.1d) Agency basis892.9e) Zero-hours contract00   *Excludes any staff member where BEIS has an agreement rather than a contract - ie loan/secondment in or contracts for service/work package. Headcount includes all staff who are currently inactive (parental leave, loan/secondment out, career break) where the individual still holds a contract with the department.

Parents: Pay

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average salary of (a) mothers and (b) fathers taking shared parental leave is.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold information on the average salary of mothers or fathers taking Shared Parental Leave.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the legislative timetable for making sexual assault, voyeurism and exposure schedule 2 offences under the Armed Forces Act 2006.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces continue to have policies in place which require all allegations of sexual offences to be referred to the Service Police. Changes to Schedule 2 offences can be effected through secondary legislation, and the Department is looking for an early legislative opportunity to bring forward proposals for sexual assault, voyeurism and exposure to be included.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the value of the Joint Strike Fighter F-35B that is made in the UK is derived from the Rolls Royce lift fan; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of work on the Rolls Royce lift fan for the Joint Strike Fighter F-25B is carried out in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: UK industry is making a significant contribution to the F-35 programme, providing 15% by value of every F-35 built. With regard to the Rolls-Royce lift fan system, approximately 70% of the development work and 40% of the production work is carried out in the UK. Given the nature of the supply chain, the Ministry of Defence does not hold further detailed information on the value of UK F-35 work that is specifically attributable to the lift fan.

Air Force: Anniversaries

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans are in place to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RAF; and what discussions he has had with the RAF on the granting of posthumous awards for service personnel.

Mike Penning: Plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RAF are well advanced. Events will take place across the UK throughout 2018 with the key event being a service taking place on 10 July 2018 at Westminster Abbey followed by a large flypast. Plans do not include the posthumous award of decorations for Service personnel.

Air Force: Anniversaries

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are plans in place to use the 100th anniversary of the RAF to commemorate the financial contribution made to the RAF by Lady McRobert.

Mike Penning: There are no plans to use the 100th anniversary of the RAF to recognise Lady MacRobert's financial contribution to the RAF. The connection between the RAF and the MacRobert family is already maintained through the MacRobert Prize for graduating officers at RAF Cranwell. The Lady MacRobert Trophy is awarded between contesting Air Training Corps (ATC) squadrons in the North East Scotland Wing whilst 49F (Greenock (MacRobert's Reply)) Squadron of the ATC bears the family name.

Military Aircraft

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures are in place for the naming of RAF aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: The RAF does not routinely give individual aircraft names and there is no formal protocol or regulation regarding the naming of RAF aircraft. However, aircraft are occasionally given names and there is precedent, particularly during World War II, for philanthropic individuals or groups to donate aircraft and they were often given the opportunity to name them.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2017 to Question 69279, what his Department's spend was for (a) submarines, (b) combat air, (c) air support, (d) ships, (e) helicopters, (f) land equipment, (g) weapons and (h) intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland since 2013.

Harriett Baldwin: The information is not held in the format requested.Detail of overall expenditure for each equipment type was provided in the answer I gave on 23 March 2017 to Question 68072 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).Ministry of Defence regional expenditure with UK industry was published on 16 March 2017 and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201516



Ministry of Defence- Defence: Expenditure
(Word Document, 33.63 KB)

Department for Communities and Local Government

Non-domestic Rates: Newham

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2017 to Question 68303, on non-domestic rates: Newham, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the amount of rates paid by businesses in the London Borough of Newham.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 18 April 2017



Whilst no outturn data for the amount paid in rates by businesses in Newham are held centrally for the years before and after revaluation, forecasts are available. According to Newham's own forecast on their National Non-Domestic Return 1 for 2016-17, businesses paid a total of £133 million after reliefs.They forecast this to increase to £142 million according to their National Non-Domestic Return 1 for 2017-18. This increase is affected by revaluation, inflation, changes in business rate relief policy, changes in the number and value of properties entitled to business rate reliefs and changes in the tax base.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2017 to Question 68027, when his Department plans to respond to the discussion paper, Parking reform: tackling unfair practices.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parking: Private Sector

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will discuss with the Department of Transport, the DVLA and the trades associations for private car parking companies reviewing the regulations for the passing of information gained from the DVLA Vehicle Keeper Database by private car parking companies to third parties as part of his Department's consideration of its approach to future Government intervention in the area of private car parking companies.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Change of Use

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on (a) local infrastructure and (b) human health of the conversion of offices into small flats from 16 square metres in size.

Gavin Barwell: We expect all housing to be of good quality and to avoid a race to the bottom in size. Building regulations are there to ensure new homes are safe, secure and sustainable.The White Paper 'Fixing our broken housing market' is clear that it is important that we deliver a range of housing types and tenures to meet a range of housing needs. As part of this the permitted development right for the change of use from office to residential is making a valuable contribution to the delivery of new homes, having delivered over 12,800 homes in the year to March 2016.

Communities and Local Government: Conditions of Employment

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Council Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of Florrie's Law.

Gavin Barwell: Following leaseholders’ concerns about high service charges for capital works programmes, the Department for Communities and Local Government introduced The Social Landlords Mandatory Reduction of Service Charges (England) Direction 2014 which capped service charges payable by local authority leaseholders in respect of major works funded, in whole or in part, by Government.Local Government has legal duties to remain compliant with the law.Leaseholders can challenge service charges for major works in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) including where works are not recoverable under the lease, charges are not reasonable, or have not been carried out to a reasonable standard. In addition, The Social Landlords Discretionary Reduction of Service Charges (England) Direction 2014 allows social landlords to waive or reduce service charges by an amount that the landlord considers reasonable. For example, in cases of extreme hardship, the landlord may see fit to reduce charges to a leaseholder.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many security passes giving access to his Department's premises are currently valid.

Simon Kirby: 8,499 passes are currently valid for the shared Government Offices Great George Street building.

Treasury: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many security passes giving access to his Department's premises have been issued in each year since 2010.

Simon Kirby: HM Treasury does not record the number of passes issued by year. 8,499 passes are currently valid for the shared Government offices Great George Street building.

Treasury: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people holding security passes for other Government Departments are granted access to his Department's premises with that pass, by Department.

Simon Kirby: Civil Servants have the ability to work flexibly across government sites where there is a business need to do so. The issuing of all passes is controlled by the local Departmental Security teams.Information on the number of people holding security passes for other government departments which could grant access to the Government Offices Great George Street premises is not centrally recorded.

CH2M Hill

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been paid to CH2M by (a) service provided and (b) project since 2005.

Mr David Gauke: The information is not held centrally at the level of detail requested. Details of expenditure approvals for consultancy controls are published on: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk Additionally, all new contracts over the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder The full Cabinet Office Controls guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-controls/cabinet-office-controls-guidance-version-40

Treasury: Management Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2017 to Question 65696, on Treasury procurement, how much of the procurement spending in each of those years related to the services of management consultants.

Simon Kirby: The core Treasury procurement spend on management consultancy services for each year since 2010 is shown below: 2015-162014-152013-142012-132011-122010-11£5.75m£0.56m£0.49m£0.88m£0.13m£1.19m Cross-government costing projects account for the increase in spend in the year 2015-16.

Premium Bonds

Drew Hendry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the number of premium bond prizes and (b) funding an increase in the number of premium bond prizes by reducing the financial value of those prizes.

Simon Kirby: NS&I reviews the Premium Bonds prize structure regularly to ensure that it provides fair value to both customers and taxpayers. In February 2017, NS&I announced a reduction to the Premium Bond prize fund rate from 1.25% to 1.15%. This change will take effect on 1 May. As part of this change, NS&I has sought to maintain a similar overall number of prizes by reducing the number of prizes in the £50 and £5,000 range, and increasing the number of £25 prizes. The two monthly £1 million prizes remain in place. More than 20 million people in the UK hold Premium Bonds and it is challenging to set a prize structure which satisfies all customers. NS&I feels that the current prize structure strikes the right balance between those customers who want a chance to win high value prizes and those who would like to see more low value prizes.

Concentrix: Pay

Gavin Robinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2017 to Question 65735, on Concentrix: minimum wage, how the level of average salary paid to Concentrix staff who have been transferred to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) via a TUPE arrangement compares with the average salary of staff already in HMRC carrying out similar jobs.

Jane Ellison: From 1 April 2017, all former Concentrix staff who transferred to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under TUPE terms were offered the opportunity to transfer to HMRC terms and conditions, including pay harmonisation.

VAT

Peter Aldous: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has estimated the fiscal gains derived through the dynamic effects of reducing VAT on accommodation and attractions to five per cent.

Jane Ellison: The Government has carefully considered the evidence for applying a five per cent reduced rate of VAT on accommodation and visitor attractions and believes that the costs of doing so, estimated at £3.1 billion annually, outweigh the benefits. The Government holds all taxes under review and will always look to consider new evidence where it comes to light.

Budget March 2017

Dawn Butler: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the analysis carried out by the Women's Budget Group and Runnymede Trust on the Spring Budget 2017, published in March 2017, that Asian women from the poorest 33 per cent income group will lose an average of £2,247 as a result of cumulative tax and benefit changes between 2010 and 2020.

Jane Ellison: The Government carefully considers the equality impacts of measures at fiscal events on those sharing protected characteristics, including gender, race and disability - in line with both the Government’s legal obligations and with its strong commitment to equality issues. The analysis mentioned in the question ignores how a strong economy supports women and their families. Female employment has increased by 1.3 million since 2010. The lone parent employment rate increased by 11.8 percentage points from 2010 to 2016. The employment rate for Black and Minority Ethnic groups is at a record high of 64.8% and the number of BAME women in work is at a record high. The Government also disagrees with some of the other assumptions underpinning the analysis, such as how the income from benefits are shared within households. Independent organisations such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the London School of Economics have been clear that it is very hard to look at the effects of policy changes affecting a household separately for men and women.

Mortgages

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the banks buy-to-let mortgage terms and conditions on the ability of private landlords to rent to those in receipt of housing benefit.

Simon Kirby: The Government is committed to increasing competition in banking. Although it is a commercial decision for banks to set their own lending criteria when lending to private landlords, to rent to those in receipt of housing benefit, the UK has a competitive mortgage market capable of serving a range of different business models.

Revenue and Customs: Training

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs requires some part-time staff to work full-time while undertaking training courses.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff are employed in the National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit of  HM Revenue and Customs; and how many posts in that unit are currently unfilled.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit of HM Revenue and Customs offers the option of job sharing to its compliance caseworkers and compliance managers.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time has been for filling vacancies in the National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit of HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 months.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit of HM Revenue and Customs requires its compliance caseworkers and compliance managers to work full-time.

Jane Ellison: The Government are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW or NLW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. The Government has more than trebled annual funding of minimum wage enforcement since 2014, providing a total budget of £25.3m in 2017-18. The additional investment has enabled a significant expansion of resources dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage.Any HMRC employee can request flexible working, including part time hours and job sharing. Initial training for new recruits is usually delivered on a full-time basis during their induction. In recruitment campaigns, we make clear that full-time training may be required during the initial training period. This is due to the level of face-to-face training needed. For existing part-time staff, once induction training is completed, any future training can usually be offered on a part-time basis and we plan our training to fit with working patterns as far as possible. As at 1 April 2017, there were 399 staff in post in HMRC’s NMW teams and 83 vacancies. Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing NMW and NLW, including lawyers, technical advisers, and those specialising in criminal investigations. HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified above. HMRC does not hold data in the format required to answer the question on average time to fill vacancies within these teams.

Low Pay: Taxation

Peter Aldous: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs made an assessment of the effect on (a) ministers of religion and (b) other low-paid workers of their being taxed on cash alternatives to a benefit which they did not receive under the new Optional Remuneration rules.

Jane Ellison: A full assessment of the impact of the new optional remuneration rules was conducted. The government believes that the impact of the change is proportionate and has made the tax system fairer for all. Transitional arrangements have been introduced to help mitigate the impact for those currently tied into such agreements.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will carry out an interim assessment of the effects of the freeze on child benefit and child tax credit.

Mr David Gauke: The government has considered the impact on all benefits and tax credits rates that are included in the four year uprating freeze. The government has published an impact assessment at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf

Profits: Taxation

Jessica Morden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the guidance his Department provides to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on dealing with cases where HMRC receives revenue which is deemed to represent unjust enrichment.

Jane Ellison: The administration of the tax system, including where appropriate the repayment of tax or duties, is a matter for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in accordance with the appropriate statutory provisions. As such HM Treasury has not provided guidance to HMRC on dealing with cases where HMRC receives revenue which some persons may consider to be unjust enrichment.

Department for International Trade

Exports: Liechtenstein

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2017 to Question 69047, which UK economic sectors have contributed to the 40 per cent growth in UK exports of goods and services to Liechtenstein between 2005 and 2014.

Greg Hands: During the period 2005-2014, ONS statistics show that services represented on average 84% of UK exports to Liechtenstein, within which financial services are likely to have made a significant contribution.

National Farmers Union

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings officials of his Department have had with the National Farmers' Union since 1 January 2017.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade Regularly meets with businesses and representatives from across the UK, including the agricultural sector, and will continue to do so.

Trade Agreements: Sustainable Development

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many reports he has commissioned to seek advice on free trade agreement provisions and sustainable development goals.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is firmly committed to delivering the sustainable development goals both at home and around the world. We are working with departments across Whitehall to determine our approach to future trade agreements, including with respect to sustainable development, informed by relevant evidence and advice.

Trade Agreements: Human Rights

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many reports he has commissioned to seek advice on free trade agreement provisions and human rights.

Greg Hands: The UK has a strong history of defending human rights and continues to be at the forefront of human rights protections. We are working with departments across Whitehall to determine our approach to future trade agreements, including with respect to human rights, informed by relevant evidence and advice.

Drugs: Philippines

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he made representations during his recent meeting with the President of the Philippines on the Government of Philippines' policy on tackling illegal drugs.

Greg Hands: In their recent meeting, the President of the Philippines and my Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for International Trade had a wide ranging discussion that included illegal drugs, in the context of the importance of the rule of law, adhering to international obligations as well as the implications on international trade arrangements.

National Farmers Union

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has met the National Farmers' Union since 1 January 2017.

Mark Garnier: My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has met with Meurig Raymond, President of the National Farmers’ Union, as well as local representatives.

Department for International Trade: Third Sector

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which civil society organisations officials of his Department have met to discuss human rights and trade since July 2016.

Greg Hands: The UK has a strong history in defending human rights and continues to be at the forefront of human rights protections. The Department for International Trade has met with a variety of civil society organisations. We are working closely with them across a range of areas, including human rights, as we develop our approach to trade policy.

Department for Transport

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56564, on shipping: minimum wage, if he will list the full membership of the working group reviewing the application of national minimum wage legislation to seafarers in UK waters; and when he expects the work of that working group to be completed.

Mr John Hayes: Membership of the National Minimum Wage (as it applies to seafarers) Legal Working Group is comprised as follows; a) Department for TransportDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyForeign and Commonwealth OfficeHM Revenue and Customsb) Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (accompanied by legal advisor)Nautilus Internationalc) UK Chamber of Shipping The initial meeting took place in February 2017 and the second meeting is scheduled for May. Shortly after this date I expect the group to conclude its work.

South Western Rail Franchise

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for First MTR South Western Trains Limited of taking over the South Western rail franchise in August 2017 during upgrade works at London Waterloo station.

Paul Maynard: The current train operator, South West Trains, and Network Rail have developed a detailed plan for the works at London Waterloo, and are already making passengers aware of the associated changes to their services during this time. First MTR South Western Trains Limited have attended joint planning meetings for the works, and will continue to follow the agreed plan when they take over the franchise. First MTR South Western Trains Limited will have a mobilisation period of over four months to prepare for franchise commencement, and it is also expected that the majority of current staff will transfer into the new franchise.

South Western Rail Franchise

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the opportunities for re-zoning stations in the boroughs of (a) Kingston upon Thames and (b) Richmond upon Thames as a result of First MTR South Western Trains Limited being awarded the South Western rail franchise.

Paul Maynard: Proposals for re-zoning stations in the TfL zonal structure can only be made by signatories of the London Travelcard Agreement (either train operators or Transport for London) andmust have the support of the Travelcard Scheme Council (which is made up of the train operators who are party to the Travelcard Agreement). Approval by the Secretary of State for Transport would also be required before an amendment to the zonal map can be made.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require dockless bike sharing companies to be licensed.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to regulate dockless bike sharing schemes.

Andrew Jones: As this type of bicycle sharing scheme is a relatively new concept in the UK the Department for Transport does not currently have a policy on the regulation or licensing of dockless bicycle sharing companies. However, shared bicycles are subject to the same legal requirements and byelaws that already exist regarding bicycle standards and parking. The potential growth of this style of scheme means that this is an area that the Department is monitoring with interest.

Luton Airport: East Midlands Trains

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of an increase in the number of stopping services on the East Midlands Line to Luton Airport.

Paul Maynard: Further to the previous question (UIN 68732) on this same topic that was raised by the Honorable Member last month, I can confirm that the Department is currently undertaking a process of information gathering to develop the specification for the next East Midlands rail franchise. All options for future East Midlands services are subject to ongoing analysis of the potential benefits and consultation with stakeholders. We are considering the case for additional services to Luton Airport and are working collaboratively with Luton Airport to understand their proposals. Any outcome will seek to secure the best value for money for the taxpayer and the best interests of passengers. We are due to begin a formal public consultation soon to inform the specification and I would strongly encourage the Honorable Member to make his views known through the consultation process when it opens.

London-Brighton Railway Line

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter of 2 March 2017 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport to the Chair of the Transport Committee on the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study, whether his Department plans to make funding available to Network Rail to develop plans for works around Croydon to support the Brighton mainline.

Paul Maynard: The Government recognises the importance of the Brighton Mainline upgrade proposals, which are at an early stage of development. As I said when publishing the Study, will we continue to support Network Rail in further developing and refining the proposals. In addition, the Government has committed an additional £300m to increase targeted maintenance and improve performance on Thameslink routes, including the Brighton Mainline, in coming years.

Railways: Freight

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to maintain the level of support to the freight industry after the UK leaves the EU and is no longer part of the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport continues to support the freight industry and leaving the EU will have no impact on existing spending plans for support to the freight industry though either Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) or the associated Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) scheme. Neither is an EU scheme. They are British schemes with EU State Aid approval through to 31 March 2020 when the current schemes end. The Scottish and Welsh Governments set their own budgets for freight grant schemes. The total combined expenditure for England, Scotland and Wales for MSRS and WFG is expected to be within the £110m maximum five year estimate in the State Aid clearances for 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2020. However, this estimate could be exceeded by up to 20% without requiring further EU approval.

Railways: Freight

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of public investment in rail on the level of freight access charges.

Paul Maynard: Setting the framework for track access charges is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). ORR is currently working with the industry to review the structure of charges for CP6 (from 2019) as part of their Periodic Review 2018 process. As part of the Government’s Rail Freight Strategy, the Department for Transport will continue to support ORR's work to develop appropriate track access charges for freight from CP6, including by understanding the effect of the level of public investment in rail and overall impacts on the rail freight industry of any changes.

Railways: Freight

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of requirements for rail freight network investment during Control Period 6.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for the level of support to rail freight network investment during Control Period 6.

Paul Maynard: The rail industry has provided its initial advice to Ministers for Control Period 6 (CP6) (2019-2024), which we are carefully considering. In addition, the Freight Network Study, which considers the needs of the rail freight industry for future control periods was published by Network Rail on 7th April 2017. In due course we will make announcements on the outcomes we want to see from the railway as a whole during CP6, as well as engage with stakeholders. This will include consideration of the needs of rail freight.

Railways: Freight

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effects of the Strategic Freight Network Fund during Control Period 5 to date.

Paul Maynard: Government is investing £235 million up to 2019, as part of the Strategic Freight Network Fund specifically to support investment in infrastructure focused on delivering key capacity and capability enhancements to support the growth of the rail freight sector. The benefits of schemes funded through the Strategic Freight Network Fund include signalling and track improvements which allow longer trains, increased speeds and more efficient journeys.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make it its policy to subsidise the retrofitting of diesel particulate filters to diesel vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: Tackling air pollution is a priority for the Government. The UK currently meets the legal limits for almost all pollutants, but we recognise that further work is still needed, particularly to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in some towns and cities. That is why this Government has committed more than £2 billion since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, support greener transport schemes and set out how we will improve air quality through a new programme of Clean Air Zones. The use of advanced technologies to reduce emissions from vehicles does form part of our approach. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) are important elements of improving the real world control of NOx and particulate emissions from new vehicles and, where retrofitted, from existing models. In light of both updated information on real world emissions from diesel vehicles and the High Court judgement last year, we will be publishing a revised air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide shortly. The consultation will address the measures needed to reduce nitrogen dioxide concentrations.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make it its policy to ensure that all diesel vehicles are fitted with diesel particulate filters.

Mr John Hayes: Particulate filters have been fitted to all new diesel cars and vans to comply with the emissions limits set out in the Euro 5 and 6 standards (from 2009 onwards). New heavy duty diesel vehicles have also been fitted with particulate filters since the Euro VI standards were introduced in 2013.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to meet the air pollution targets set out in the EU's 2008 ambient air quality directive.

Mr John Hayes: Tackling air pollution is a priority for the Government. The UK currently meets the legal limits for almost all pollutants except nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but we recognise that further work is still needed, particularly to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in some towns and cities. Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. That is why we have committed more than £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) and support greener transport schemes. In addition, the Chancellor announced a further £290 million to support electric vehicles, low emission buses and taxis, and alternative fuels in the 2016 Autumn Statement. The Government established the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) between the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2016 to deliver the National Air Quality Plan for NO2, which was published in December 2015. In light of both updated information on real world emissions from diesel vehicles and the High Court judgement last year, we will be publishing a revised air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide shortly. The consultation will address the measures needed to reduce nitrogen dioxide concentrations. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is developing a new UK air quality strategy. This is to tackle the five main pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, ammonia and fine particulate matter. The UK has agreed legally binding national ceilings for emissions of these pollutants by 2020 and 2030. The Government is considering how all sectors of the UK economy can contribute to these ambitious targets.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that toxic emissions are monitored effectively during MOT testing.

Andrew Jones: The current test has been amended over recent years to introduce lower emission limits. The removal of after treatment devices, such as diesel particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction devices, have been added to the list of reasons why a vehicle would fail its MOT. In May 2018, the opacity limits for diesel vehicles will be tightened for newer diesel vehicles.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to meet the 2050 emissions reduction target.

Mr John Hayes: The Government remains committed to tackling climate change and meeting the target set out in the Climate Change Act to reduce emissions by at least 80% on 1990 levels. Our emissions reduction plan will set out how we will reduce emissions through the 2020s across all sectors – including transport – and send an important signal to the markets, businesses and investors. Our aim of nearly all cars and vans being zero emission vehicles by 2050 is particularly important in reducing transport emissions. We will set out our long term strategy for promoting this transition to zero emission road transport within the next 12 months.

Aviation

Kelly Tolhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the gross value added to the economy by general aviation in the UK.

Mr John Hayes: In March 2015 the Government published research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK”. That research contained an estimate of the gross value added to the economy by general aviation in the UK as being £3.8bn direct and indirect economic benefit, supporting 38,000 jobs. We consider this research to still be valid but will keep this under review in light of emerging trends.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will introduce real-world emissions testing of vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport undertook real-world emissions testing of Euro 5 and 6 diesel cars and the results were published in the Vehicle Emissions Testing report in April 2016. Further real-world emissions testing of other vehicle types is being undertaken by the Market Surveillance Unit and will be published later this year. Additionally, the government has been at the forefront of calls for the introduction of tougher emissions testing at a European level and the new Real Driving Emissions tests will come into force for all new car models from September this year.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will introduce a diesel scrappage scheme.

Mr John Hayes: In light of both updated information on real world emissions from diesel vehicles and the High Court judgement last year, we will be publishing a revised air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide shortly. The consultation will address the measures needed to reduce nitrogen dioxide concentrations.

Department for Transport: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are currently employed by his Department.

Mr John Hayes: As at February 2017, the total number of people employed by the Central Department and its four Executive Agencies is 14,348.

Aviation: Fuels

Kelly Tolhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to incentivise the use of greener fuels in general aviation.

Mr John Hayes: I refer my honourable friend to the written answer that I gave to the honourable Member for Birmingham, Northfield on 5 April (Reference UIN 69591). We are taking action to encourage the development and supply of lower carbon jet fuels, including by bringing forward proposals to support the use of sustainable alternative fuels in aviation under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. We will publish the outcome of that consultation in due course.

Bus Services

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that bus companies undertake a public consultation with passengers before submitting the required 56 days' notice for route changes to the Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain.

Andrew Jones: There are no plans to make it a requirement for operators to undertake a public consultation before submitting notice to the Traffic Commissioner. The provision of bus services and how to consult with passengers before making any changes to routes lies with individual operators.

Taxis: Disability

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on introducing proposals in the Disability Equality Training (Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers) Bill.

Andrew Jones: In responding to the Disability Equality Training (Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers) Private Members Bill debate in the House of Commons on the 18 November 2016, my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Transport, committed to bringing forward a package of measures to support access to taxis and private hire vehicles for disabled passengers. The Department plans to consult shortly on revised Best Practice Guidance for local licensing authorities, which will include strengthened recommendations relating to the provision of disability awareness training for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.

A19: Accidents

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents there have been on the A19 between Seaham and the Testos roundabout in each of the last five years.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents there have been on the A19 in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: Number of reported personal-injury traffic accidents, by severity, on A19 between 2011 and 2015YEARA19 (Total)A19 (Seaham to Testos)FatalSeriousSlightFatalSeriousSlight2011636233042020128392540221201373623014222014648246023020153412750642 Road casualty figures for 2016 will be published in June 2017.

A19: Accidents

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of accidents on the A19; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The A19 is some 124 miles in length of which Highways England is responsible for the 67 mile section between Thirsk in North Yorkshire and Seaton Burn in Tyne and Wear, with the remaining 57 miles being the responsibility of the respective local highway authorities. Highways England keeps the safety performance of all its roads under continuous review and since 2011, safety improvements have been delivered at ten locations on the A19. Also, the Road Investment Strategy (2015-2020) announced three schemes on the A19, which are expected to save at least 380 casualties. The Government is committed to investing in road safety on local roads which make up 98% of the road network in England. We recently allocated £175m for local highways authorities to improve safety on the 50 highest risk ‘A’ road sections in England and continue to provide capital funding for maintenance work.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the Government's data on the level of NOx emissions and other pollutants produced by an (a) diesel and (b) petrol car registered before 2005 driving at (i) 5mph, (ii) 10mph, (iii) 15mph, (iv) 20mph, (v) 25mph, (vi) 30mph, (vii) 40mph, (viii) 50mph, (ix) 60mph and (x) 70mph.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the Government's data on the level of NOx emissions and other pollutants produced by an (a) diesel and (b) petrol car registered after 2005 driving at (i) 5mph, (ii) 10mph, (iii) 15mph, (iv) 20mph, (v) 25mph, (vi) 30mph, (vii) 40mph, (viii) 50mph, (ix) 60mph and (x) 70mph.

Mr John Hayes: The Government does not possess this specific data. The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) has developed databases listing most of the cars and new vans available for sale in the UK. These databases are available online and inform buyers about the impact of the vehicle on the environment by giving fuel consumption information or identifying those that use alternative fuel types; in the car database, identifying the vehicle excise duty on individual vehicles based on their CO2 emissions; and in the van database, helping buyers to choose the correct vehicle for their requirements. The car database also provides information on the air quality pollutants and noise levels recorded as part of type-approval process but these only confirm that the car meets the required emissions standard and are not suitable for comparative purposes. All national air quality monitoring data is available on the Government’s UK-Air website, which provides in-depth information on air quality and air pollution in the UK. A range of information is available, from the latest pollution levels, pollution forecast information, a data archive, and details of the various monitoring networks. This website is hosted and maintained by Ricardo Energy & Environment on behalf of Defra and the Devolved Administrations.

Driving: Medical Examinations

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a fitness-to-drive assessment by the DVLA was (a) for each licensing group, (b) due to sudden disabling events and (c) due to DVLA notification by drivers or healthcare professionals in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) deals with more than 600,000 medical cases every year. The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition and whether further information is required from medical professionals. The DVLA has made major improvements in this area, including introducing an electronic service which allows drivers to notify the DVLA online about certain medical conditions. The DVLA has recruited 100 extra casework staff as well as more doctors to deal with complex cases. Three nurses have also been employed to help deal with certain cases and further recruitment is underway. A dedicated team has been put in place which is responsible for continuous improvement of medical driver licensing services and communications. Letters to customers and medical professionals have been improved, helping to ensure that the DVLA receives the information it needs as quickly as possible. These changes have produced significant and sustainable improvements. The table below shows the average number of working days taken to make a licensing for all medical cases since 2014/15. Comparable information prior to April 2014 about the time taken to make a licensing decision is not available as the way this information is recorded changed at that time. Specific information on the time taken to make a licensing decision for each driver licensing group, following a sudden disabling event or a notification to the DVLA by drivers or health professionals is not readily available. April 2014 - March 2015April 2015 - March 2016April 2016 - March 2017585337

Driving: Medical Examinations

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical professionals are employed by the DVLA to assess drivers' fitness to drive.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency currently employs 30 qualified doctors (25.6 full time equivalent) and three full time nurses. An additional four nurses and four doctors have recently been recruited and are due to start in the next few months.

Shipping: Apprentices

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the number of UK-based seafarer rating apprentices that will be trained in the maritime industry in the next five years.

Mr John Hayes: There has been no estimate for the number of UK-based seafarer rating apprentices that will be trained in the maritime industry in the next five years. The Department continues to work in close collaboration with the maritime industry and Unions to identify the industry's future training needs.

Merchant Shipping: Training

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many merchant navy ratings are being trained by shipping companies in (a) the North East, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Scotland and (e) Northern Ireland.

Mr John Hayes: The Department does not hold this information.

A23: Litter

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the collection of litter takes place on the A23 from Crawley to Brighton; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: In April, the Government released the ‘Litter Strategy for England’[1], outlining an initiative to identify and target the 25 top litter ‘hotspots’ on the strategic road network and establishing a working group on roadside litter. This includes representatives from local councils, Highways England, road users and others, to explore and understand the practical barriers to keeping all our roadsides clear of litter, and to help identify and promote best-practice in roadside litter prevention. Litter collection on the A23 between Crawley and Brighton is the responsibility of Mid Sussex District Council and Brighton & Hove City Council. They have an obligation to ensure litter is collected. Nevertheless, Highways England is engaging with local authorities, including these Councils, on a more collaborative approach to litter clearance. This builds upon Highways England’s work, as operator of the strategic road network, in sending out a four-weekly programme to notify local authorities of their routine maintenance works on trunk roads, which can help councils to coordinate their litter collections. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-strategy-for-england

Shipping: Apprentices

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he has met Ministers in the (a) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) Department for Education to discuss the availability of apprenticeships in the maritime sector since September 2015.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote (a) employment and (b) training opportunities for UK-based seafarer ratings.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he has met Ministers in the (a) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) Department for Education to discuss the process for agreeing standards for apprenticeships for seafarer ratings since September 2015.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans and published on 7 September 2015, recognised the need for more proactive action to promote and grow the UK’s maritime sector and to replenish and develop the skills needed to maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading maritime centre. The Government continues to work with Maritime UK on the delivery of the skills recommendations through its People and Skills Working Group and associated sub groups. Alongside this, my department works with the maritime industry including the maritime unions, which I meet with periodically, in addressing matters around ratings training through the Ratings Taskforce.Through the People and Skills Working Group, Government and industry are also working to address the other skills recommendations including establishing better links into schools and enlarging the awareness programme to encourage entry into the merchant navy at both officer and rating levels. Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s drive to give people of all ages the skills employers need to grow and compete. Maritime is a key part of this with a range of rating apprenticeships both approved and in development.There is regular dialogue through the Ministerial Working Group created through the Maritime Growth Study to drive growth and tackle issues affecting the sector. This Working Group includes Ministerial and official representation from across Whitehall and discusses a range of issues, with maritime skills and apprenticeships topics that have been discussed. There are also regular ongoing discussions at official and Ministerial level including my recent bilateral with Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, the Rt Hon Member for Harlow, Robert Halfon MP. In addition, I have reconvened the government/industry National Minimum Wage (NMW) Legal Working Group and officials are working with colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to look at how the NMW is applied to seafarers working on vessels operating out of UK ports or in UK waters.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nuclear Disarmament

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2017 to Question 66495, what steps he plans to take to communicate with the participants at the organisational meeting on negotiating a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons on 16 February 2017, and the substantive negotiations starting on 27 March 2017 on that subject; and whether he plans to make a statement after the conclusion of those negotiations.

Sir Alan Duncan: We discuss nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament frequently with a wide range of partners, amongst them states attending these negotiations. In such discussions we have been clear about our opposition to this move to negotiate a treaty banning nuclear weapons for the reasons we have set out to this House. The first Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference will take place in Vienna in May and we will use that forum to engage with a wide range of states on how we can together tackle the challenges we face on non-proliferation and disarmament, and enable access to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Monarchy: Official Gifts

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria his Department uses in advice to the Royal Family on the suitability of accepting gifts.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office refers to the guidelines and procedures governing the acceptance, classification, recording, retention and disposal of gifts by Members of The Royal Family set out by Buckingham Palace and published on the Royal.uk website, and where appropriate consults the government of the country concerned.

Monarchy: Official Gifts

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the gift of a gold chain from the alleged Crown Prince Davit of Georgia.

Sir Alan Duncan: None.

Hong Kong: Voting Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) the Hong Kong Government on the election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong by universal suffrage.

Alok Sharma: I discussed the importance of political reform in Hong Kong with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, Liu Haixing on 16 February in Beijing; and in my meeting with Wang Yongqing, Secretary-General of the Central Commission for Politics and Law in London on 17 February.When I visited Hong Kong from 1-3 December 2016, I discussed the political situation with legislators from a variety of mainstream parties and the then Chief Secretary Carrie Lam (now the Chief Executive-elect). I encouraged all parties to play their part in rebuilding constructive dialogue to pave the way for the resumption of the political reform process.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people are currently employed by his Department.

Sir Alan Duncan: As at 28th February 2017, the FCO employed 4469 (4389 full-time equivalent) UK-based staff.

Hong Kong: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) the Hong Kong Government on the outcome of the Hong Kong elections for Chief Executive.

Alok Sharma: The Government looks forward to working with the Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam when she takes office in July. The British Consul General in Hong Kong issued a statement congratulating Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam on her victory and I have written to her. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Theresa May) and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) have also written to the Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam to congratulate her.I have had no recent discussions with the Chinese or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments on the outcome of the Chief Executive elections which took place on 26 March.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the use of Sarin in the chemical weapon attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Syria on 4 February 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the Hon. Member to a statement to the House on 18 April by my Rt Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. This sets out the UK's policy on Syria and covers a number of issues including the use of sarin in the attack on Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April.

Afghanistan: Security

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The security situation across Afghanistan, including in Helmand, remains challenging and we expect this forthcoming fighting season to be as difficult as 2016. However, we should be mindful that this is the third year that the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) have taken the lead for security since the closure of the International Security Assistance Force combat mission. The ANDSF continue to improve under difficult security circumstances, supported by mentors from NATO's Resolute Support (RS) mission. The Taliban continue to test the ANDSF, particularly in rural areas and occasionally threaten some provincial capitals, but the ANDSF have shown professionalism and resilience in managing security and countering terrorism, including from Daesh's affiliate in the region.Along with international partners, the UK is committed to helping Afghanistan to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, NATO agreed to sustain the non-combat Train, Advise and Assist RS mission through 2017. We have increased the UK forces under RS command to a total of 500. The Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, which I attended, on 4 October 2016 sent a strong signal of international resolve. At Brussels, the UK pledged £750 million in development support to Afghanistan through until 2020. Ultimately a political settlement offers the best prospect for an enduring peace. We urge the Taliban to join the political process and become part of a brighter future for Afghanistan.

Spain: Politics and Government

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government on the Government's policy on the political integrity of Spain.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government on that Government's policy on Catalonian independence.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The political integrity of Spain is a matter for the Spanish Government and the people of Spain.

Lahpai Gam

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to appeal to the Government of Burma on the (a) release of Lahpi Gam on medical grounds and (b) medical care required by that prisoner.

Alok Sharma: We remain concerned about Lahpi Gam's ongoing detention and by reports of his poor physical health. In 2013, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opined that his imprisonment constituted arbitrary detention and raised a number of concerns about the fairness of his trial. We regularly raise our concerns regarding political prisoners with the Burmese authorities.

Armed Forces and Intelligence Services: Detainees

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the updated version of the Consolidated Guidance to Intelligence Officers and Service Personnel on the Detention and Interviewing of Detainees Overseas, and on the Passing and Receipt of Intelligence Relating to Detainees; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government is currently considering what changes might be made to the Consolidated Guidance in light of the points raised by the Intelligence Services Commissioner. Any changes to the Consolidated Guidance will be laid before Parliament.

Diplomatic Service: Religious Freedom

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to UK Embassies overseas to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is included in their work.

Alok Sharma: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 5 April 2017 - PQ 69539.

Chechnya: LGBT People

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the (a) Russian Government and (b) international organisations on the treatment of LGBT people in Chechnya, Russia.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are deeply concerned by reports of the detention and ill-treatment of over 100 men in Chechnya because of their sexual orientation. The Minister of State, The Baroness Anelay of St Johns, released a statement on 7 April outlining the Government’s concern at the reports and called upon the Russian authorities to promptly investigate and ensure that perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice. The Foreign Secretary also expressed his serious concerns on social media. Officials from the British Embassy in Moscow reiterated these messages directly to the Russian government on 13 April, and are working with international partners in Russia as part of wider lobbying efforts. The EU made a statement on behalf of Member States at the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 6 April and the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe delivered a statement in the Committee of Ministers on 19 April.

Department for International Development

Central America: Health Services

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage the Governments of El Salvador and Guatemala to increase women's access to reproductive health care.

James Wharton: The UK Government frequently raises our concerns about the strict anti-abortion laws in El Salvador and how these affect the lives and reproductive rights of women and girls. In Guatemala, the UK is supportive of the prevention of violence against women and girls and their right to make choices about their reproductive lives.

Department for Education

Faith Schools

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of state-funded faith schools are non-Christian.

Caroline Dinenage: There are 85 non-Christian state-funded faith schools, which represents 1.2% of all state-funded faith schools. This data is derived from Table 2c in Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, 2016, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

Academies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2017 to Question 62481, how much of the £90 million was spent on supporting (a) schools to convert to academies and (b) strong and effective multi-academy trusts to grow and improve in the 2016-17 financial year.

Edward Timpson: In 2016-17, the department expects to have spent approximately £40 million on supporting schools who have chosen to convert to academy status and approximately £40 million on supporting successful multi-academy trusts to grow and deliver higher academic standards for pupils.

Department for Education: Management Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2017 to Question 69291, on Department for Education: management consultants, for each of those years what the Department's spend has been in relation to the services of external experts engaged to implement the change or a new programme; and what proportion of that expenditure has been spent on management consultants.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s annual expenditure includes the following amounts for spending on consultancy services: Financial yearSpend on consultancy services £0002009-1017,1162010-1136,7072011-123,1842012-139852013-148402014-151,5032015-161,208 The sources of the data are the department’s audited annual accounts covering the core department and its executive agencies at that time. The table includes the full cost of the consultants who have been engaged to implement changes or a new programme. The Department is only able to obtain information at the level in the table above; it does not hold the information requested in an appropriate format to say what proportion of that expenditure has been spent on management consultants.

Free Schools

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to open new free schools have been rejected on the grounds an individual applying has (a) been involved in illegal activities, (b) a criminal conviction and (c) been investigated or found guilty of misrepresentation, as per the Section 1 suitability and declaration form, in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Our rigorous processes are designed to ensure that only people who are capable of providing pupils with a good education are allowed to open new schools. We assess applications to establish free schools against published criteria and take into account a range of contextual information. As set out in How to apply to set up a free school: guidance published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/opening-a-free-school, the department carries out a range of checks on those proposing to set up and run free schools before and after they open. These include due diligence checks, credit checks and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks and may include police and other checks necessary to ensure the suitability of people to be part of the free school programme. The results of these due diligence checks are taken into account when we make decisions about which applications to reject, but have not on their own led to a rejection decision.

Nurseries: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) nurseries and (b) nursery school places in Wolverhampton North East constituency that will offer 30 hours of free childcare from September 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: Local authorities are responsible for making an assessment about the number of 30 hours free childcare places that providers plan to offer in their areas. To support them to deliver 30 hours, we are investing £100 million to create almost 18,000 additional early years places for eligible children to help meet demand from working parents. This is backed by £1 billion extra revenue per year for the early years entitlements, including £300 million per year to increase the funding rates paid to nurseries, pre-schools and childminders that choose to deliver the offer. This means that Wolverhampton local authority will see an increase in their hourly funding rate to £4.68.

Nurseries: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate how much of the planned £55 million supplementary funding for maintained nurseries will be spent in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) Wolverhampton North East constituency; and what steps her Department is taking to support maintained nurseries in Wolverhampton.

Caroline Dinenage: Supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools is allocated on a local authority basis, as is the free early years entitlements funding within the Dedicated Schools Grant. Of the £55m supplementary funding, the indicative allocation for Wolverhampton local authority is £1.04m in 2017-18. The supplementary funding will allow local authorities, including Wolverhampton, to maintain existing levels of nursery school funding. This extra funding will provide stability for nursery schools, which make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. We have recently completed a data assurance exercise that will ensure that local authorities receive the correct amount of supplementary funding.

Free School Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children currently qualify for free school meals under (a) household benefit entitlement and (b) universal infant free school meals; and how many children living in households with an income of less than £16,190 are not eligible for free school meals because their parents are in receipt of working tax credit.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect specific data on family benefits or income; this would require analysis from the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.1.4 million infants took a lunch on the January 2016 census day under the universal infant free school meals policy[1]. This is published and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016.[1] National tables: SFR20/2016, table 3d. Number of Infant Pupils who took a lunch on census day (column E) minus Number of Infant Pupils Eligible for and claiming free school meals (column J)

Nurseries: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Government has spent on nursery education in Wolverhampton North East constituency in each of the last seven years; and how much it plans to spend on such education in that constituency in the financial year 2017-18.

Caroline Dinenage: Funding for the free early years entitlements is allocated on a local authority basis. The early years funding allocation for Wolverhampton local authority can be found below for the following financial years:2013-14:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-20142014-15:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-20152015-16:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-20162016-17 (provisional allocation):https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-20172017-18 (indicative allocation):https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018 Prior to 2013-14, early years local authority funding allocations were not separately identified within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Instead, they were part of the total DSG allocated to each local authority. Early years allocations prior to 2013-14 are not therefore available.

Nurseries: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of nursery school places in Wolverhampton North East constituency.

Caroline Dinenage: Local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and early education places, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The Department does not hold local authority or constituency level estimates of the number of places in local authority maintained nursery schools. However, the number of pupils attending local authority maintained nurseries can be found in the statistical first release and underlying data published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016 Local authority and regional tables: SFR20/2016 (Table 7b) indicates that 686 pupils were registered as attending local authority maintained nursery schools in Wolverhampton in 2016.

Pupils: Mental Health

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for young people who suffer adverse effects to their mental health and well-being after not passing the 11-plus exam.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the effect of the 11-plus exam on young people's mental health and well-being was considered in the decision making process that resulted in the policy of expanding selective schools.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the 11-plus exam of young people's mental health and well-being; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Schools that Work for Everyone consultation outlined proposals for increasing the number of good school places available, including proposals to allow existing selective schools to expand and new selective schools to open. We proposed in the consultation that new and expanding schools should ensure that there are opportunities to join selective schools at different ages, such as 14 and 16, as well as 11. The consultation closed on 12 December. The government is considering the submissions received and will publish its response in due course. Good mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental health. There is a lot that schools can do to prepare pupils well to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good teaching is one of the most important factors in making sure that pupils feel ready. Good leaders know that positive mental wellbeing supports attainment, and make that part of the overall school ethos. We want to look across the whole school system to identify where mental health provisions need to be improved, whether that is in schools or how we better connect schools into services that may be more specialised. We have supported schools by: Funding the PSHE Association to publish guidance and a set of age –appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health issues; Publishing of a blueprint for school counselling services which provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling to all pupils; Issuing advice on behaviour and mental health which provides teachers with information and tools that will help them to identify pupils who need help, provide effective early support and understand when a referral to a specialist mental health service may be necessary; and Funding the development of MindEd, a free online resource which allows all those working with children and young people to access information on a range of mental health issues. The Prime Minister’s speech in January has further emphasised this Government’s commitment to improve mental health for all children and young people and announced that the Departments for Health and Education would publish a green paper on CYP’s mental health The Green Paper aims to secure effective activity from prevention to provision of specialist support, at different stages and different settings across health, education and care settings, as well as access to services, and the role of social media.

Arts: Teachers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) music, (b) drama and (c) art teachers there were in each region of England in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The following table shows the estimated number of secondary school teachers in England, November 2010 to 2015, teaching (a) music, (b) drama and (c) art and design. MusicDramaArt and Design20107,50011,10013,20020118,00011,60013,90020127,40010,50012,80020137,30010,20012,70020147,1009,60012,40020156,9009,40012,000Source: School Workforce CensusThe number of teachers teaching each subject in secondary schools are estimates. The annual School Workforce Census typically receives curriculum taught data for over 70% of secondary school teachers. The sample data received have been weighted and grossed so that all figures presented provide a representative, national picture. Due to the sample nature of the data received, regional and local estimates are not produced.

Free Schools

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools in (a) London and (b) England are in temporary buildings; and how many of those schools have been in those temporary buildings for more than one year.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of free schools in temporary accommodation in London and England can be found below: Total free schools in London in temporary accommodation54Total free schools in England in temporary accommodation110Total free schools in London in temporary accommodation for more than 1 year41Total free schools in England in temporary accommodation for more than 1 year74 The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can mean that it is sometimes necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation. When we do open schools in temporary accommodation, we ensure value for money and that all temporary accommodation is safe and suitable for educational purposes.

Schools

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools are in temporary buildings in (a) England and (b) each local authority area.

Nick Gibb: We do not currently hold this information across the whole school estate.The Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme will help us to identify this information in the future.

Church Commissioners

Debt Rescheduling

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England will take steps to support initiatives which provide indebted households with financial breathing space.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church of England supports the Breathing Space campaign of The Children’s Society and StepChange. The Church has considerable experience of supporting people in financial difficulty and has for the last four years been actively promoting credit unions and financial education within its school and church networks. Additionally, as part of the Just Finance Foundation, LifeSavers is a national, financial education programme for primary schools, equipping children with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to manage money well and prepare them for the opportunities and challenges that money brings in life.It offers schools:• Free and comprehensive sets of classroom and collective worship resources,• CPD training in how to develop a whole school approach to financial education• advice on setting up a school savings club• ideas for engaging parents designed to give children a practical experience of handling money and ensure that positive messages about money are reinforced at home.More information can be found here: https://justfinancefoundation.org.uk/act/lifesavers/

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

Oliver Colvile: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England provides for people affected by domestic violence and abuse.

Dame Caroline Spelman: On 15th March 2017 the Church of England’s House of Bishops published “Responding Well to Domestic Abuse: Policy and Practice Guidance”, which urges church communities to address the issue of domestic abuse and raise awareness of its impact on adults and children. The document can be seen at: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/3896806/responding-well-to-domestic-abuse-2017.pdf The updated practice guidance and policy encourages churches to become places of safety where domestic abuse is taken seriously, survivors are believed and respected, and alleged or known perpetrators challenged. The updated document reflects legislative and other changes since guidance was last issued in 2006.Under the policy Church leaders and Officers working with children, young people and vulnerable adults will be expected to undergo domestic abuse training, with the issue being raised in appropriate contexts within church life including youth groups, marriage preparation and ordinand training. They will also be expected to work closely with statutory and other specialist organisations.In the House of Lords this session bishops supported the passage of the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill.

House of Lords: Reform

Alan Brown: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the policy of the Church of England is on reducing the membership of the House of Lords.

Dame Caroline Spelman: In December the House of Lords passed a motion that its size ought to be reduced. The Bishop of Birmingham, who is Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, supported that motion and has since made a submission to the Committee set up by the Lord Speaker to look at options for reducing the size. Its report is awaited.For many years now the public responses of the Church to proposals for Lords reform have highlighted the problem of the Second Chamber being too large and have called for action to address it.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Public Libraries: Opening Hours

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the full data set collected by the Libraries Taskforce will include library opening and staffing hours.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the independent review of S4C will be completed before 1 October 2017.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a launch date for the planned independent review of S4C.

Mr Rob Wilson: Basic data about the number and locations of each public library in England as at 1 July 2016 was published on gov.uk on 30 March 2017.The Libraries Taskforce is currently conducting a survey until Friday 28 April seeking views from the sector on what a core dataset for public libraries in England should contain, such as information in relation to each library on the number of hours open and the number of staffed hours each week. After analysing responses to the survey, the Taskforce will set out what the sector should be gathering as part of a core dataset. Further consideration will then be given about how the libraries sector should collect and make available the core data.

Public Libraries: Databases

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's public libraries basic data set, published on 30 March 2017, what additional information she plans to include in the full data set collected by the Libraries Taskforce.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the full data set gathered by the Libraries Taskforce.

Mr Rob Wilson: Basic data about the number and locations of each public library in England as at 1 July 2016 was published on gov.uk on 30 March 2017.The Libraries Taskforce is currently conducting a survey until Friday 28 April seeking views from the sector on what a core dataset for public libraries in England should contain, such as information in relation to each library on the number of hours open and the number of staffed hours each week.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of staff who have been employed by local authorities with a responsibility for air quality in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not hold information on the number of staff who have been employed by local authorities with responsibility for air quality.

Air Pollution

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the amount which has been spent by local authorities on monitoring and improving air quality in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not hold information on the amount which has been spent by local authorities on monitoring and improving air quality in each of the last ten years.

Badgers: Bovine Tuberculosis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2016 to Question 57987 and the Answer of 24 March 2017 to Question 66627, how many of the 421 carcasses of badgers have been examined for bovine tuberculosis in line with the Chief Veterinary Officer's advice in his report on the badger culls in 2015.

George Eustice: Culled carcasses from between 2013 – 2016 were not routinely tested for TB as the RBCT established that approximately one-third of badgers in areas of high incidence of TB in cattle were infected. This year a pilot study was started to explore ways in which badger carcasses obtained from the cull potentially could be used to gather long term information on levels of disease in badgers. A number of carcasses from nine of the areas were sampled and testing methodologies are being piloted. It will be some time before any interim findings on this exploratory undertaking are available.

Agriculture: Exports

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research she has commissioned on the potential effect on agricultural exports of the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: The Government continues to undertake a range of analyses to inform the UK’s position for the upcoming EU exit negotiations. We are determined to get the best possible deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, which allows frictionless trade in goods and services and the opportunity to reach new agreements with countries around the world.

Air Pollution: Monitoring

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the capacity of local authorities to monitor air quality (a) at present and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra has made no specific assessment of the capacity of local authorities to monitor air quality at present or after the UK leaves the EU.

Marine Environment: Litter

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2017 to Question 65619, on marine litter, by when she plans to make a decision on whether the UK will participate in the UN Clean Seas global campaign on marine litter; and if the Government will join that campaign ahead of the UN Oceans Conference on 5 to 9 June 2017.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK Government has, and continues to, put in place a range of measures to protect the marine environment from marine litter. We support the development of initiatives by other countries and organisations where they are consistent with our aims. We will make a decision as to whether to formally participate in this campaign in due course. We are not yet able to specify a date by which this decision will be made.

Floods: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much grant funding her Department awarded to (a) Lancashire County Council and (b) West Lancashire Borough Council after flooding incidents, by project, in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: A total of £76,322.70 was granted to properties and businesses in Lancashire flooded during the 2013/14 floods. None was paid to or distributed by Lancashire County Council or West Lancashire Borough Council. The table sets out which councils in the county did distribute funds and the total value per council. Council£Fylde Borough Council19,603.20Wyre Borough Council10,000.00Lancaster City Council17,212.50Blackpool Council26,757.00South Ribble Borough Council2,750.00

Floods

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to announce its final decision on the allocation of grant funding to flood risk management authorities in response to the floods of Boxing Day 2015.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are investing a record £2.5 billion to better protect 300,000 more properties from flooding by 2021. At Budget 2016, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £700 million increase in flood defence and resilience spending. £532m has been allocated to new defences, additional maintenance, new temporary defences and incident management equipment. Any further allocations will be made by HM Treasury.

Dogs: Imports

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2017 to Question 66537, for what reason the numbers of dogs imported into the UK from each origin country, as presented in Annex A, do not add up to the number recorded on APHA's system of dogs entering the UK non-commercially under the Pets Travel Scheme, as stated in the Answer of 30 January 2017 to Question 62238.

George Eustice: Currently, the Pets Database holds information on pet movements into GB on approved routes gathered by transport companies. Since mid-2015 the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has been piloting a parallel system to establish the level of accuracy of data available from the Pets Database. This has identified that more dogs are travelling under the Pet Travel Scheme than previously indicated by the Pets Database data, and this number was presented in PQ62238. Based on this finding, APHA is now working on a new permanent system to capture accurately all the required data without placing an unrealistic burden on carriers. The information that APHA has provided in response to PQ66537 is a true reflection of the information that is held on the Pets Database, as supplied by third parties.

Food Supply: Industry

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on how the Government's industrial strategy will support food producers.

George Eustice: Defra is working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at ministerial and official level, to ensure the industrial strategy supports the agri-food sector. The agri-food sector contributes £110 billion per year to our economy and is a big employer in every region of the UK, so is well placed to support growth across the whole country. We will be working with the agri-food sector to develop an industrial strategy that delivers a world-leading food, farming and fishing nation that grows more, sells more and exports more food around the world.

Food Supply

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the UK food self-sufficiency was in (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014, (e) 2015 and (f) 2016.

George Eustice: In the most recently published figures from Agriculture in the UK, production to supply ratio for all food is 61 per cent, and for indigenous food 76 per cent. These figures have been relatively constant over the previous 10 years. YearAll food %Indigenous type food %2011647820126377201360732014627620156176  The next publication of Agriculture in the UK will be on 25 May 2017 and this will include the 2016 production to supply figures.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will consider increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty.

George Eustice: The maximum penalties for animal welfare offences are kept under review and Defra is in regular discussion with the Ministry of Justice on appropriate sentencing levels. The Sentencing Council recently published revised magistrates’ court sentencing guidelines with the aim of ensuring that the most serious cases of animal cruelty receive appropriately severe penalties within the available maximum penalty.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Financial Services: Regulation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had on financial regulation after the UK leaves the EU with representatives of (a) the British Virgin Islands, (b) the Cayman Islands and (c) Bermuda.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government is committed to involving the Overseas Territories as we prepare to exit the EU, and ensuring their interests are properly taken into account.UK Ministers and leaders of the Overseas Territories have committed to taking forward future engagement through the creation of the UK – Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) on European Negotiations.The JMC met for the first time on 6-7 February 2017, chaired jointly by Robin Walker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, and Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay and discussed the interests of the Overseas Territories. The Premiers of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands were present. The UK's commitment to financial transparency was reiterated at the meeting.As we approach our negotiations with the European Union we will go on working closely with the Overseas Territories, helping to ensure that we get a deal that works for everyone.

Free Movement of People: Bermuda

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government's policy is on allowing Bermuda to maintain freedom of movement in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The majority of Bermudian citizens are entitled to British citizenship under the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 and as EU citizens can exercise free movement rights in the EU. This is the case for most British Overseas Territory Citizens. The post-exit immigration rules that apply to British nationals in the EU will be the subject of negotiations, as will the detail of the future relationship between the Overseas Territories and the EU.The Government has committed to fully involving the Overseas Territories in discussions on EU exit to ensure their interests are taken into account. UK Ministers and leaders of the Overseas Territories have committed to taking forward future engagement through the creation of the UK – Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) on European Negotiations. The JMC met for the first time on 6-7 February 2017, chaired jointly by Robin Walker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, and Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay and discussed a range of issues of interest to the Overseas Territories.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Telephone Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department plans to establish a telephone number for responding to enquiries from hon. Members' offices.

Mr Robin Walker: The department provides a telephone number for enquiries from Members' offices in the usual way.

Attorney General

Confiscation Orders

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how much debt remains outstanding under confiscation orders obtained by the Crown Prosecution Service including interest; and what recent estimate he has made of how much of that debt is recoverable.

Jeremy Wright: As of the 1 March 2017, the CPS is leading in the enforcement of 1062 confiscation orders and the outstanding debt, excluding interest is £553,938,410, which represents a fall of 7% over the course of the last 12 months. Of that debt, £145,935,292 (which represents 26% of the total amount) has been assessed as being recoverable. The amount of outstanding debt, including interest, is £682,535,112.Domestic confiscation orders, once obtained, are enforced by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) assists in the enforcement process in situations where it can add value, such as by managing restraint orders, seeking the appointment of enforcement receivers and, in relation to assets held overseas, seeking assistance from other jurisdictions. When the CPS can no longer add value to the enforcement of a confiscation order, the responsibility for enforcement reverts to HMCTS and the CPS no longer monitors its progress.The CPS only retains data on those orders in which it assists in the enforcement process. The latest data relates to March 2017.

Freezing of Assets: Russia

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is taking to investigate the findings of the US authorities in the case of US V Prevezon et al that funds from the tax fraud against Hermitage Capital, investigated by Sergei Magnitsky, have been transferred to the UK bank account of Renaissance Capital Investment Management Limited; and whether the SFO has been notified or informed that laundered money ending up in that account is estimated to be in excess of $8.3 million.

Jeremy Wright: As and when matters are brought to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) they are assessed in the context of the SFO's remit to investigate fraud, bribery and corruption. If appropriate, relevant matters will be considered for criminal investigation in line with SFO internal procedures. However, in line with its published policy, the SFO does not comment on its assessments or their status at any one time but does publish on its website details of those cases formally adopted for criminal investigation, whenever this is possible without prejudice to the investigation.

Fraud

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many tip-offs were made to the Serious Fraud Office tip-off line in 2016; how many reports from that tip-off line were passed on to other investigatory bodies and prosecuting authorities; and how many such reports were deemed to contain enough information to justify opening an investigation.

Jeremy Wright: The SFO does not have a dedicated telephone tip-off line. Allegations of criminality are referred to the SFO by a variety of sources, including corporate self-referrals, other law enforcement or regulatory agencies both within the UK and overseas, non-governmental agencies as well as by members of the public. The largest number of referrals are submitted through the secure online reporting tool accessed by the SFO website. The online reporting tool was updated in February 2016. This has led to a decrease in overall direct referrals as users are provided with more information to report allegations that fall outside the SFO's statutory remit to a more appropriate agency. Everyone making referrals to the SFO via the website are routinely advised to report their allegations directly to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre.In 2016 there were a recorded 1552 reports made through the SFO reporting tool. The SFO central records indicate that 80 of these reports were referred by the SFO to other investigative bodies for consideration although this may not capture every instance of a referral being made to another agency by the SFO.The number of SFO investigations opened during 2016 which originated through the online reporting system during this period was 4.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Data Protection

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many (a) official and (b) official sensitive documents have been recorded as lost by his Department since 8 May 2015.

Guto Bebb: None.

Wales Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people holding security passes for other Government Departments are granted access to his Department's premises with that pass, by Department.

Guto Bebb: Civil Servants have the ability to work flexibly across government sites where there is a business need to do so. The issuing of all passes is controlled by the local Departmental Security team who follow strict procedures and protocols. Information on the number of people holding security passes for other government departments who are granted access to Wales Office premises is not centrally recorded.

Wales Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people are currently employed by his Department.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. The number of staff on Ministry of Justice payroll working in the department as at 31 March 2017 was 37.

Wales Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many security passes giving access to his Department's premises are currently valid.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office currently has 54 active passes.

Wales Office: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many security passes giving access to his Department's premises have been issued in each year since 2010.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office has issued 131 passes since 2011. We do not hold information for 2010.

Ministry of Justice

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is the Government's policy to support automatic publication of visit reports by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has she made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture following that Committee's periodic visit of 30 March 2016 to 12 April 2016; and when she expects that report and the Government's response to be published.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government has fully considered the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture following its visit last year. The Committee published its report on 19 April, and the Government’s response will follow.The practice of successive Governments has to been to permit the publication of the Committee’s reports of its visits, and to encourage other member States to do likewise.

Juries: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the level of lost earnings incurred by (a) employees and (b) the self-employed undertaking jury service by income decile in each of the last five years.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Jury service is an important civic duty. HMCTS is committed to offering support to those called as jurors. Financial provision is made for jurors who are on benefits and for those who suffer loss of earning whilst on jury service. Full details of that provision can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim

Members: Correspondence

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the email of 20 March 2017, when she plans to respond to the email enquiry from the hon. Member for Glasgow East on behalf of a constituent on 20 February 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: The email enquiry from the hon. Member for Glasgow East on behalf of a constituent on 20 February 2017 was answered on Wednesday 19 April 2017.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Conditions of Employment

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many of the staff in his Department have access to his Department's official (a) Twitter and (b) Facebook account.

David Mundell: The press and engagement team of the Scotland Office have access to the Scotland Office’s digital platforms. The team consists of ten people.

Scotland Office: Land

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to paragraphs 1.296 and 1.297 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what progress his Department has made by estimated capacity of land sold since March 2016 in identifying and disposing of land to meet the Government's commitment.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not own any land and has not done so since its creation in 1999.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on promoting social media post in the last 12 months.

David Mundell: Digital activity, including social media campaigns, are funded through the Scotland Office programme budget. This is published in the annual report and accounts, a link to which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2015-16--2

Scotland Office: Social Media

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which social media posts from his Department have been promoted in Scotland only.

David Mundell: Social media posts across Twitter and Facebook are accessible from anywhere by any audience.

Scotland Office: Secondment

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff are seconded to his Department; and how many such staff are seconded from which companies and organisations.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. Staff that join do so on assignment or loan/secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. The office can on occasions employ staff on secondment from non-civil service organisations. As the number of non-civil service secondments is less than 5, detailed information is not provided for privacy reasons.

Cabinet Office

Business Appointments Advisory Committee

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to encourage the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to diversify its membership beyond the current required senior (a) military, (b) diplomatic and (c) business experience.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to ensuring we have the very best people appointed to our public bodies and that the boards of public bodies reflect society as a whole. We encourage applications from candidates with a diverse range of skills and backgrounds and have recently made a number of improvements to the appointments process, which are aimed at making public appointments accessible to the widest possible group of people.

Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total running costs of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists are; and what the total amount of fees paid to the Registrar have been in each year since its creation.

Chris Skidmore: Details of the running costs of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists are outlined in the Statement of Accounts. To date accounts have been published for reporting years 2014/15 and 2015/16:http://registrarofconsultantlobbyists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ORCL-2015-16-Statement-of-Accounts-Accessible.pdf

Cabinet Office: Conditions of Employment

Rob Marris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business Appointments Advisory Committee

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraphs 9, 10 and 11 of the Code of Practice for Members of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, whether the Committee must record the reasons why a member has declared a relevant interest relating to an individual application.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people applied to sit on the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in each round of appointments since 2010; and how many of those applications were (a) women, (b) disabled, (c) from ethnic minority background and (d) from working class backgrounds.

Chris Skidmore: With the exception of appointments made by the relevant political parties, appointments to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition. The detailed information requested is not held. As set out in the Advisory Committee’s Code of Practice, members must declare and record relevant interests relating to individual applications received for outside appointments. Where a member recuses him or herself from consideration of an application this is recorded in the Committee’s final advice, which is published on its website.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the total amount of waste generated across the Parliamentary estate was in each of the last five years; and how much of that waste was recycled as (a) paper and cardboard, (b) glass, (c) plastic bottles, (d) cans, (e) batteries and (f) food waste in each such year.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.